Just a Shy Little Scarlet Fox
by LizzyLovesPink
Summary: Everything in Joanne's life seems constant-his parents ignore him, his sisters don't take him seriously, and his classmates ridicule him. That never changes until a new student mysteriously transfers to Weston, bringing along a new teacher with an unknown agenda to complete. Suddenly, things seem to be looking up for Joanne, until a dark secret returns from the grave.


"Look at what we got at the circus, Joanne!" Samantha burst into my bedroom, holding a small stuffed rabbit under her arm, and Anastasia was a few steps behind her. "Is it not the most adorable thing you've ever seen? It is for you!"

"Thanks," I said simply, looking up from my homework. Despite being a second-year at Weston, I had already amassed a giant pile of work-and I wasn't even half-done with it.

"You should come with us next time," Anastasia suggested, adjusting her golden bun. A few curly ringlets spilled out, designed to be fashionable.

"No thank you...circuses scare me," I tried to turn back to my work, but Samantha climbed on top of my desk, sitting on it and exposing the buttons on her boots.

"Are you sure? This one was a lot of fun! There was a really amazing knife-thrower! But the true star of the show was this girl they deemed 'the princess'. She was an amazing tightrope walker!" She gushed happily. "Although you could see up her skirt,"

"Which was not proper in the slightest. I hope Mother and Father do not find out we were viewing such things," Anastasia sniffed, turning to leave.

"Oh come on, you went too! Willingly!" Samantha teased, jumping off the desk. "What are you working on there, little brother?" She instead leaned against it, trying to view my arithmetic work despite my best attempts to hide it.

"Just my homework," I tried my best to sound bored, when in reality, they were riling me up.

"We do things similar to this at Preston!" Samantha noticed, swiping the paper from me. "The correct answer is...five!" She smirked.

"We do not, do not spread such lies. I have not had such a lesson in ten years!" Anastasia sniffed again, finally leaving the room. "Adam!" I heard her shout as she left, calling for her fiance.

Samantha placed my paper down on my desk. "You sure you do not want to visit the circus? It really is a lot of fun," She stared me down as I continued my work, purposely scratching my pen against the paper super loudly.

"No thank you..." I looked down at my paper, willing Samantha to leave me alone, and after a huge sigh, she moved away from my desk.

"This is still for you," She smiled and placed the stuffed rabbit on my desk. I could tell it was poorly-made, the seams were crooked and the button eyes were lopsided and mismatched.

"Thanks," I still smiled at her, brushing the hair out of my eyes slightly.

"And if you need any help on that schoolwork of yours, you know who to ask!" She pointed to herself proudly, walking out of my room.

After she shut the door, I finally sighed and leaned back in my chair, dreading going back to school next week. Our holiday break was nearly over, and despite how my family was, I still would have rathered spent my time with them than with my classmates. I continued work on my arithmetic, finding the answer was indeed five, just as Samantha said.

I had no idea what they taught at the prestigious academy, Preston, where Samantha goes and Anastasia used to go, but I never knew arithmetic was one. I just assumed it was things like baking and dancing and dress-making.

As I worked, I stared at the rabbit on my desk, wondering what kind of circus was selling such things. Maybe it was an act or something. When I finished the assignment, I pushed it aside and stood up, leaving my room to take a break before I started yet another pile of assignments, this time my writing homework.

I wandered into our parlor, where Anastasia was sitting at the table, playing chess with Adam, who unfortunately saw me before I could escape. "It's little Joanne! Why don't you come and give your future older brother-in-law a big hug?" He smiled widely at me and swept me into his arms, hugging me tightly. He was tall and pretty well-built, with dark hair and lots of freckles sprinkled on his face.

"Do be gentle with him, he is very fragile," Anastasia frowned, putting her glasses back on. Adam squeezed me tighter for a second, then let me go, leaving me gasping for air.

"Very fragile indeed, but that is what I like about him!" He laughed and ruffled my hair, making it all stand up on end. "Did I give you our three-year anniversary present yet?" He looked at Anastasia, and I took a seat next to the pearl fire-place, which was loudly crackling with a red-orange fire inside.

"No, what is it?" She asked, and he whispered it into her ear, making her gasp and stand up. "Mother! Father! Samantha! Get in here, please! Adam has a surprise!"

Immediately, Samantha dashed into the room, holding her hands in front of her skirt. Mother and Father soon followed; Mother's hair up in a tight bun and Father wearing his usual smoking jacket and pants.

"I know you will all be very surprised by it," Adam promised, fishing around in his pockets for a bit, soon pulling out several pieces of paper.

"Tickets!" I yelled out, standing up. Adam simply smirked.

"Indeed, tickets they are. But not just any tickets," He handed one to Anastasia. "First-class tickets on the legendary luxury liner, the _Campania_!"

"Oh my," Mother gasped, taking her own ticket and looking at it. Adam handed Samantha's and mine to us, and I took mine in. It was silky and a bright white, with my full name and title punched onto it, alongside a drawing of the ship and my class.

"How did you get these? The _Campania_ isn't even finished building!" Samantha asked in disbelief, and Adam smirked more.

"I'm friends with one of the builders and investors, a Mr. William Afton. I persuaded him to give us some tickets early, and he did. It sets sail April 17th,"

"Oh, I am so excited! To travel on a ship!" Samantha gushed.

"You've been on ships before," I reminded her in confusion.

"Nothing as grand as this ship though. I feel as if it will go down in history," Father said simply.

"My lord, my lady, dinner has been served," A servant with dark hair arrived, curtsying politely. Father then nodded.

"Hopefully it is something good," Anastasia stated, pocketing her ticket and walking into our maroon dining room, Adam pulling out her chair for her and helping her sit down, then sitting down next to her. I took my usual seat across from them, sitting next to Samantha.

"I bet it'll be vegetables again. Lots of turnips and lettuce, ugly bruise-coloured veggies," Samantha whispered to me, making me loudly giggle before I caught myself, Father giving me a glare.

"Here is your starter," A maid explained, quickly serving everyone and hurrying back into the kitchen. The first course was a simple tomato and basil soup, which even I could eat easily.

"School will be starting soon," Mother said simply, eyeing Samantha and I. "I hope you represent the Harcourt family name with the proper respect it deserves,"

"Of course!" Samantha smiled and slowly sipped her soup, which left Mother to glare at me.

"Of course I do," I said quietly, staring into my bowl, wishing the topic of school would drop.

"Is my uniform ironed and ready?" Samantha continued, and Mother nodded.

"I trust the maids. Your uniform has never looked bad before," She continued looking at me. "Same with your uniform, Joanne."

"I remember when it was time to wash it last month, and it was an absolute fright. Stains everywhere," Anastasia said to Adam, who laughed.

"Not gross stains," I mumbled, pushing my bowl away. The stains in question were a result of some fifth-years dumping a bucket full of gruel and paste onto me as I walked into one of my classes. I mean, I probably did something to deserve it, but it was still disgusting. One of the other second-years spent about four hours helping me wash out my hair, and I still smelled like gruel for the entire next day.

"You are only taken advantage of at school because you let them. If you were strong and assertive, you would easily rule that school. You might even become the Prefect, and I know that is something you want. Besides, you have to learn to be more assertive soon anyway. You will inherit my fortune, and unless you're willing to stand up for yourself, people will walk over you and steal not only your wealth, but your title," Father said in his know-it-all voice, his brown eyes boring into my red ones.

"I don't let them," I whispered, sinking into my seat. "And I don't want to be a Prefect,"

My family ate in silence for a while, and I soon stood up from the table.

"Where are you going? Your food isn't gone yet," Father asked.

"I'm not hungry, I'm going to bed," I pouted, leaving the table in silence.

I walked up the stairs to my bedroom, trying my hardest not to sulk. I was sick of my father assuming I was just choosing to not fight back, instead of being able to stand up for myself. If he spent even one minute in my shoes, he would see how wrong he was. But that would never happen.

I finally reached my bedroom and walked inside, shutting and locking the door. I threw the key on my dresser and flopped down on my bed, ignoring the knocks on my door, first from Samantha asking if I was okay, then from my servant asking to get me ready for bed. I was done with everyone. I soon curled up and fell asleep on top of my sheets, these thoughts swirling around in my head.

Nothing would ever change for me.

#########

The next week passed by uneventfully for me. Samantha took Adam to the circus again, or at least, tried to. It had skipped town without warning; according to her, the grounds looked as if nothing had ever been there at all.

Of course, I would take uneventful over what would inevitably be another miserable semester at Weston.

After I woke up, I was promptly dressed in my red school uniform, my hair being tied back in a ponytail for once by my valet. A silky red ribbon was tied back in it. "It's a very popular style!" He assured me, making me shrug.

I then walked downstairs, another servant handing me my bag, which I slung over my shoulder.

"Look at you, with your hair up! You already look like a little man!" Adam laughed, ruffling up my hair.

"I have already sent for your carriage," Father stated as Samantha walked down the stairs in her Preston uniform. "And there is my beautiful daughter!"

Samantha smiled, and I couldn't help but to smile alongside her. Her honey-blonde curls were indeed perfectly curled and tied up in a fancy bun, tied with a black ribbon. She wore the uniform of the sixth-years; a black gown with cupped sleeves and matching opera gloves, along with a white ribbon choker. Tied to her shoulders was a red ribbon with her House's portrait in a cameo; Crimson Poodles. She truly looked her true age; seventeen. While I looked much younger than my own fourteen years.

"Come on, let's go!" Samantha grinned and pulled on my arm, taking her own bag from the footman and racing outside, exposing her black boots again.

"I think we have different carriages," I started to say, only for another footman to shake his head and open up our usual black carriage, our family crest painted on the doors.

"You two will ride in this one." He bowed and took Samantha's hand, helping her inside. He then helped me inside and closed the door, then the carriage started to move along at a leisurely pace.

"Strange how we both have the same carriage. Preston is much farther than Weston," Samantha wondered, leaning against the window and looking out of it.

"Probably saves time if we both ride at the same time," I shrugged, looking down at my lap. "I wish you could be dropped off first,"

"Are you nervous about going back to school?" She smiled slightly, patting my head. "Relax. I'm sure since it's nearing the end of the school year, everyone will be too busy with their studies to bother you,"

"Never underestimate them. I don't," I shivered.

"You worry too much, Joanne. Maybe they're trying to get you to lighten up!" She started tickling my sides, making me laugh really hard and wiggle around.

"S-stop! I can't b-breath!" I gasped, falling on the floor of the carriage. "Ouch..."

"Oh no!" Samantha helped me back up into my seat. "Do you know who you'll be Fag to this year?" She asked in a super bored tone, while my own heart skipped a beat.

"No, we don't find out until we arrive each semester. And I bet I will get someone really mean or something. You are lucky, you're always Maid to someone super nice,"

"Not always. My second year I got to serve a girl who was a total spoiled brat. Ran me ragged late into the night for pointless stuff, and nearly made me fail three of my classes,"

"At least she didn't dump gruel and paste onto you,"

"No, but she did spill tea on the dress I was to use for the dance so I wouldn't be prettier than her,"

I stifled a giggle at that. "Okay, I admit, nobody has done that to me before,"

The coach came to a slow stop, and I took a deep breath.

"You will be fine. Just remember, they're all just jealous of your title," Samantha giggled, putting her chin up. "See you in April. Write me a bunch! And Mother too!" She pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged her back just as the driver opened up the door.

"It is time," He helped me out, then I gave Samantha one final wave before the carriage drove off. I took a deep breath and nervously walked through the gates, keeping to the cobblestoned path as other students walked around, talking with each other. I kept my head down in the hopes none would recognize me, as I hadn't seen anyone yet I had fully recognized.

Since I wasn't watching where I was going, I soon bumped into someone, stumbling and almost dropping my bag. I was hoping the person would just give me a dirty look and move on, but my face fell when I realized I recognized the person I had bumped into.

"Well, what an unpleasant surprise seeing you again, Harcourt," Maurice Cole smirked at me, reminding me of a snake. I shivered. "I do hope you have not forgotten about what I did to you last year,"

"Telling everyone I lied about my title? How could I forget?" I trembled, despite trying to sound brave. I held my head up like Samantha taught me. "And about my intelligence?"

"It was awfully easy to convince everyone. Though I'm surprised so many people even knew who you were in the first place," He continued to smirk, tugging on my ponytail. "Also, scarlet is not your color. Sorry to break the news," He pulled it out, leaving my hair to fall into my face, and then he left. I sighed, looking down.

I had no idea what personal vendetta he had against me, but I was sick of it.

A teacher came outside and loudly rang a bell, making the students standing next to him cover their ears and glare angrily. "Students, welcome back to yet another exciting Semester at Weston! If you are a fifth-year or older, please go to your Dormitory Warden to get your new schedules. Fourth-years and younger, please go to the theater room for information on your new Fag placements," He announced loudly, then walked back inside, probably upset he had to spend even five minutes in the cold weather.

"Why the theater room? That's an odd location," A second-year Sapphire Owl said from near me, and his third-year friend nodded in agreement.

"At least it'll be warm!" Someone from Green Lion chimed into their conversation, making the three laugh. I shivered, this time from cold, and hurried inside the main building, looking around for the theater room.

Luckily, most of the younger students were still outside, throwing snowballs at each other, so I got to pick whichever seat I wanted once I arrived. I sat in the back and pulled some of my books out of my bag, organizing them by their size so I could comfortably carry them around for the remainder of the day.

As I did this, a tall blonde walked over to me, unbuttoning his coat. "Is this seat taken? Mind if I sit next to you?" He asked politely, and I simply nodded, despite wanting to be alone. He took the seat next to me. "You're in some fairly advanced classes for a second year," He noticed, eyeing my grammar book.

I blushed and quickly pressed that one to my chest. "How did you know I was a second-year?" I asked nervously, and he shrugged.

"I just had a lucky guess. I've seen you around in some of my classes, you know. You always seemed interesting, but I never really got the chance to talk to you, since we're in different Houses and all," I then noticed the green logo on his jacket and sunk down in my seat. This guy could probably snap me in half if I gave him a reason to. Or he'd just do it because I'm who I am and no other reason.

"I'm Joanne," I still said, smiling what I hoped was a friendly smile. "I mean...Harcourt,"

"Midford," He said, nodding at me. I sunk down even lower in my seat. Midford had a reputation as being one of the best cricket players in the entire school. Now I _knew_ he could snap me in half. "I would've shown up earlier, but my younger sister was fairly clingy. She just couldn't stop hugging me!" He chuckled. "I love her though..."

"Yeah, little sisters," I nodded, not really being able to relate. I started sorting my books again. "Wait, you're an eighth-year. What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I'm here to find out who I'm to be Fag to. I thought I was exempt too, but when I went to get my schedule, Sir Thander told me to come here instead," Midford shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal though,"

"Oh," I looked away in embarrassment, clutching my books to my chest.

The same teacher who was outside earlier walked out on-stage, having changed his cloak from a dark maroon to a dark plum for some reason. Several students quieted and turned their attention to him, but most, especially ones from Green Lion, continued laughing and talking loudly.

"Students!" The teacher yelled loudly, making everyone silence and look at him, and he smiled slightly. "Thank you. Now, you all know why you are here, so without any further delay, let us begin with the list," He pulled a long, folded-up list from out of his pocket, then unfolded it and cleared his throat. "We shall start with Violet Wolf and work our way up,"

I could not help but to let out a loud sigh of relief, slumping back in my seat. I then prayed Midford hadn't noticed, but to my embarrassment, he chuckled lightly.

"I assume you're not a fan of this," He correctly guessed. "It's alright. I bet you'll get someone decent. Although regardless of their personality, all the work can get a bit tiring,"

"You sound like my older sister, Samantha," I noticed, making him chuckle again.

"She must have a lot of good advice then,"

We sat there quietly for a while, listening to the other students get called up, and soon it was Midford's turn.

"See you," He nodded, picking up his things and walking down to the stage. I slumped back in my seat, glad to be alone again. Sure, he was nice enough, but we are from two totally different Houses, and social circles. As a result, I would likely never see him again.

"Now for Scarlet Fox!" The teacher announced, making my stomach drop. There was no way I could go on-stage, even to receive my slip of paper. I would probably crack under the pressure.

"I hope I get somebody good," Someone sitting a few seats in front of me gushed to his friend, making his friend nod.

"Hopefully they will not run us ragged," His friend was then called up, and he hurried on-stage, smiling widely.

"Duke Harcourt!" The teacher announced, and I jumped in my feet.

"C-coming!" I hurriedly gathered up my things and blindly rushed down the stairs, running up the stage steps, only to trip on the top one and fall down, sending my books sailing everywhere. The students still in the room started laughing really hard.

The teacher rolled his eyes, impatiently waiting for me to recompose myself as I quickly picked my books back up and slung my bag over my shoulder, trembling as I looked up at him. "Sir,"

"Your information," He said simply, shoving the paper into my hands and ushering me off the stage, and I was all too glad to go.

I hurried along back outside, then into my actual House, Scarlet Fox, keeping my head down. Since it was the start of the new semester and everyone was yet to get organized, I figured there were going to be no classes today, so at least I could be alone in my room.

I climbed up the stairs to the second-floor, which housed several dorms, mainly for second-years, but your dormmate could be any year; it just depended if there was any room for him.

Once coming to my own dorm, which was marked with my last name on a golden plaque, I pulled out my room key and unlocked it, closing it behind me and looking around, my room looking exactly the same as last semester.

I had it painted in a shade of light blue, my favorite color, with silken white sheets on a golden bed, with a curtain to draw around it. There was also an oak dresser and matching desk on one side, along with an unlighted candle resting on the desk. Next to my bed was a white nightstand, and next to that was a purple chair covered in bows that housed my...well I can't say that.

I set my bag down on my bed and put the books on my desk, wondering if I would get a dormmate this semester. I was fortunate enough to not get one last semester, but luck can only last so long. And I have practically no luck. If I did get one, I hoped he would at least be nice. Or at the very least, not spend very much time in the room.

After putting everything away, I took out my paper which had not only my schedule, but the name of the upperclassman I was to be Fag to: some person I had never heard of named Niklas Arev. Maybe he was one of the foreign nobles we got every so often that I usually distanced myself from. I could only hope he would be nice.

From the large window in my room, I could make out the large River Thames in the distance, sparkling slightly since it was frozen over. I wondered if Green Lion would go out ice-skating on it later, improving their physique. I would have loved to go out ice-skating myself, but I would just make a fool of myself, sliding around and falling down. But maybe next winter Samantha could teach me. She probably knows.

I took several changes of clothes that I packed a few days ago and placed them in the dresser, making sure not to wrinkle them. After I finished, I heard the bell being rung for morning tea, which made me wince.

##########

Scarlet Foxes always held our meals in our dining hall, which was painted crimson and gold, and everything aside from the food was in a shade of gold. I arrived fairly late and had to wait in line for my tea, listening to the two people in front of me talk about their class schedule and how they were in a lot of the same classes. I already knew my schedule was the same as last semester's, with the only exception being my watercolouring class.

"I don't like how they took a lot of my foreign studies classes out," The brunette grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Me too, I was looking forward to Latin 2," His friend pouted, then walked ahead in the line to get their trays. I was behind them and nervously held my hands out for my own tray.

"Here you go!" The woman behind the counter smiled her usual kind smile and placed the tray into my hands, which nearly made me fall over from the sheer weight of it.

I then walked away from the counter and into the actual dining area, which was filled to nearly the brim with other students. I walked slowly, keeping my eye on my tray, already making the tea in the cup wobble slightly.

"Did you travel over the holiday break?" Someone called over in my direction, and I looked up to glance at them.

That was a big mistake, as right as I turned to look, someone stuck their leg out and tripped me, and trip I did, falling right on the floor. "Oh no!" My tray fell from my hands and shattered right in front of me, the tea spilling into a river on the floor.

"I heard he had a nice trip," The boy who tripped me snickered with his group of friends. I bit my lip to prevent the hot tears from spilling down my cheeks as I tried to pick up the broken pieces of the saucer, cup, and bowls and place them on my tray.

"I will take care of this, sir," A maid hurried over and bent over to clean the mess up, and I simply stood up and watched her, numbly. "Please go to your seat," Not wanting to have a maid snap at me, I nodded slowly and sat down in the closest empty chair I could find and put my head down on the table, trying to drown out the sounds of everyone's laughter. Just like everything else, that would never change. And I was a fool for hoping this first day back would actually be tolerable.

#####

The heavy snow and ice covering everything soon melted come late March, which thrilled our cricket instructor since we could finally start practicing outside instead of having to borrow the gymnasium of Green Lion, though I felt they hardly minded.

"We need to really work hard this next few weeks. Your spring holiday is arriving soon, and I want to see actual progress. Most of you are still not in the best physical shape for this sport," Mr. Comely scolded us, and everyone immediately looked in my direction when he said that last part. I have no idea why though, since aside from reading, cricket is one thing I excel at. I was actually looking forward to our tournament come June 4th; I just knew Scarlet Fox would win like we usually did.

"Split up in teams!" He continued, and everyone scrambled to partner up with their friends in their own dorms, leaving me alone, as usual.

"Want to join our team?" A familiar voice asked me, and I looked up in surprise to see Midford staring at me. "You're not Green Lion, but we are short one and you are all alone, so,"

My face fell slightly at that reasoning, but I did not have any other choice, so I followed Midford back to his own team.

"Is he good?" Someone asked, who was both taller and bigger than Midford was.

"I have seen him practice, and yes he is," Midford reassured him, handing me a paddle.

"Good. I thought you were being soft or somethin'," He jokingly nudged Midford, which Midford huffed at and grabbed his own paddle.

"Let's get started," Midford directed, and I threw my own paddle in the air.

"Yeah!" I cheered, only to have the team stare at me. My paddle hit the ground.

#######

Once the first week of April came about, we were sent home for our spring holiday, which I was thankful for. Despite not very many pranks being pulled on me-I suppose people really were more focused on studying-I was nervous and on-edge and just wanted to go home.

I carefully packed up most of my clothes, but not all; since this holiday was only a few weeks long and I didn't want to take everything. Afterwards, I slung my bag back over my shoulder and pushed my hair out of my eyes, only to have it fall back into place a few seconds after. I hurried outside, where several students were still standing outside, waiting for their own carriages to pick them up. I stood near the open gates, watching someone being swept off their feet by one of the upperclassmen, then they climbed into their carriage, the girl smiling and following him inside.

"Are you going back home now? Probably to some dingy little shack you call your palace," Cole smirked from somewhere behind me, his friends laughing with him. "I must simply see what kind of carriage is coming to pick you up. Is it being driven by mules?"

"Leave me alone," I whispered, gritting my teeth. Like a fool, I had assumed he had left earlier since I hadn't seen him outside. Most of Scarlet Fox had already left, after all.

"What did you say? I could not hear you. Please, speak up," One of his friends mocked, throwing a rock at the back of my head.

"Ouch!" I rubbed the sore spot, tears already welling up in my eyes. "Stop throwing things at me! There are teachers watching," I spun around and warned them, but they simply snickered.

"I am not afraid of some silly teachers. They know they cannot touch me due to my title," Cole smirked, just as someone came up behind me and pulled on my arm.

"Come on, let us go home. They're just jealous," Samantha whispered in my ear, smirking. She pulled me into our carriage, giving a glare to Cole and his friends, who simply shrugged it off and walked away, still laughing. Samantha sighed and leaned back in her seat once the carriage door slid shut. "Are those the boys you say are always bullying you?"

"Unfortunately," I sunk down low in my seat. "Although they did not bother me as much as I expected this semester,"

"See? I told you everyone would be too busy studying. Besides, you know what you get to do that they do not?" Samantha smirked. "Ride in first-class on the _Campania_!"

"I forgot about that," I said simply, looking out the window. While I did not mind the idea of spending my holiday on a luxury liner, I was paranoid of it sinking, and drowning. Or just simply getting seasick. But I couldn't tell Samantha these things; she wouldn't understand.

"What is wrong? You don't sound very eager," She pulled off her glove and felt my forehead, then pulled her hand away. "No fever,"

"I am not sick. I'm just...I want to graduate already. I want to leave Weston,"

"But you love school!"

"I love the classes, and playing cricket. And sometimes the food is alright. But I do not like the students. The sooner I can graduate, the better,"

"Surely you must have made one friend?"

"Well, this one eighth-year, Midford, was...decent to me. But he is nineteen, and will graduate come next May,"

Our carriage soon came to a slow stop in front of our manor. "When does the ship leave?" I asked, gathering up my bag and standing up, holding out my hand to the footman.

"In a few days, so Father says we are packing tonight and leaving tomorrow, as it will take us a while to reach Southampton," Samantha answered, gently stepping out of the carriage after me. "But you are most likely just bringing your clothes and books, am I right?" She nudged me teasingly, making me sigh.

"Welcome home!" Father greeted us warmly, sitting down in an armchair in the parlor. For once, I was amazed to see him not cooped up in his office all day. "I trust you two had a satisfying return to school?"

"Oh, yes! I was very delighted to see my best friends, Anneliese and Elizabeth again! I also got a recommendation from a French viscountess who loved my sewing, and my sewing tutor, Madame Boutine, was very shocked yet pleased. I got a very good grade in that class," Samantha said proudly.

"Very nice. Soon you will be a suitable wife. And how about you?" When Father directed his attention towards me, his warm smile disappeared and his eyes bore into me, making want to shrink into the crimson wallpaper and vanish.

"I made a very beautiful watercolour, Father," I started off nervously. "Would you like to see? It is of children skating on the Thames in winter,"

"Some other time. How about your Latin?"

I quickly read through a Latin poem we were memorizing in class, and to my surprise, went through it without any mistakes. Father simply blinked.

"And your cricket?"

"That is going good too. Our tournament is June 4th, so you should come!" I perked up with a smile.

"Oh, I will be in Liverpool on business. I am sorry. But perhaps your sisters and Adam would like to come," He then waved me away, indicating this conversation was over. "You should rest up for our big trip,"

"I cannot wait to see America!" Anastasia gushed, walking into the room. Her hair was down, and was tied back with a simple red bow that matched her red vest and dark blue skirt. "New York City is very glamorous. Adam is going to introduce me to a type of food called 'cereal'."

"Sounds disgusting," Samantha giggled, walking up the stairs to her bedroom, ignoring Anastasia's glare after her.

"How about you, Joanne? Are you excited?" She redirected her look to me, and I simply shrugged.

"A little...America will be a very different experience, for sure," Of that, I was certain.

######

After a very tiring journey in our carriage, we had finally arrived at the docks, very late in the morning. Our footmen helped us all out, and started taking care of our bags. Anastasia shaded her eyes to stare up at the ship, which was extremely big and expansive. Three giant smoke-stacks looked ready to block out the sun.

"It truly is an amazing ship," She decided, making Adam beam.

"Imagine if they take our picture as we board? We would be in the paper!" Mother gushed, arranging some loose curls in front of her face, while I hid my own.

There was a large railing set out for the first-class passengers to walk on, and Father led the way, all of us behind.

"Look, they're waving," Samantha nudged me, pointing to several people still standing on the dock, waving at people already on-board. "If they let us, we should wave when the ship sets sail,"

"But we do not know any of these people!" I declined, trying to keep my focus forward and to not focus on how high up we already were.

"So? We can still wave!" We soon reached the entryway of the ship and stepped inside, my eyes already overwhelmed by how much luxury was around us...and we were only in the entrance!

"Please follow me to your rooms," A servant bowed and led us up a giant grand staircase all painted in gold and crimson, then up a smaller set to what I assumed were rooms for the first-class. He unlocked a door for us and led us inside, and to my surprise, the room was a lot smaller than I anticipated, containing only a mint-green parlor, four bedrooms in various colors, and a large bathroom and separate water-closet.

"It's small," Came Mother's first protest. She tipped the servant who brought us here, then clapped her hands for the maids to come inside and set up our stuff. "Who wants to help?"

"I will," Anastasia offered immediately, pushing up her glasses. She picked up a small suitcase that belonged to Adam and pushed open the second bedroom door, wandering inside. "It is a cheery yellow! What a perfect shade for our room,"

"Are you sure we are to be sleeping together?" Adam asked curiously, following her inside, but the door shut before I could clearly hear her answer.

"Stop standing around like some sore lumps," Father directed Samantha and I. "Go explore the ship. I think there is a gymnasium upstairs, as well as a theatre,"

"We could go walk around on deck," Samantha suggested and took my arm, pulling me along before I even had a chance to complain. "We will be back after the ship sets sail," She called back, then walked into the hallway.

Apparently a lot more people had arrived after us, as many other passengers were in the hallway, getting their own rooms. One woman was wearing extremely strong perfume, making me start to choke.

"All I am saying is, this ship doesn't seem very big. I have seen ships far bigger than this," A boy who looked around my age was complaining as he walked past me to who I assumed was his butler. I found it strange someone that rich was traveling alone with only their butler, but perhaps his parents were already in their room. But the most interesting thing about him, I thought, was that he only had one eye-the other was covered up by a black leather eyepatch.

"Come on, the ship is about to set sail! I want to go up on deck and wave!" Samantha pulled on my arm impatiently, snapping me out of my daze.

"Of course...let's go," I nodded and followed her. Luckily, the strong-perfumed woman seemed to have left, so I could breathe easily again.

"What were you looking at that distracted you?" She asked in a curious tone.

"Just a boy around my age, who only had one eye. He was also traveling with his butler. I just thought he was interesting," I shrugged.

"Cool! Maybe he is some kind of crime overlord. Maybe he runs an opium den or something," She grinned her usual full-teethed grin, making me shiver.

"Samantha, you read far too many penny-dreadfuls,"

"And you do not, Joanne?" We finally reached the top-deck, which was already crowded with people who wanted to give their loved ones one last wave.

"Hurry, hurry, we are about to set sail!" A sailor commanded people from down below, ushering them onto the boat. I walked over to an empty spot on the railing and leaned over slightly, smelling the salty spray of the ocean. I then noticed how high up we were and turned green, whirling around and bumping right into Samantha.

"Sorry," I gasped.

"It is fine," She leaned over the railing herself and peered down below at all of the people. "I wonder if Anneliese or Elizabeth are down below, waving at me?"

"Do you see them?" I asked, walking next to her. I then scanned the crowd for anyone from Weston I might recognize, but to my relief, I saw nobody. I suppose I really would have something to brag about come May.

"No," Samantha sighed. "But I will tell them all about it once we dock in New York City! I will send a letter to them!"

"I read that out west in America, people get their mail delivered to them by ponies. Since they all live far-apart," I explained, and she giggled.

"Really?" She asked, and I nodded.

A bunch more people arrived on the deck, and to my shock, I realized the ship was starting to set sail, and everyone around us was waving happily to the people down below. Several were even leaning on the railing.

"Goodbye! So long!" Samantha leaned further against the railing, waving eagerly at everyone. Despite my shyness, I managed to give a small wave, which would hopefully go unnoticed in the giant crowd of people waving around me. I even noticed a teenager dressed in a bright blue sailor dress waving eagerly. She noticed my look and smiled widely, waving at me. I shyly waved back.

"Goodbye!"

"See you later!"

"Goodbye, goodbye!" Everyone around us said happily, seemingly not caring if the people on the ground could hear them or not.

Soon the ship sailed away from the docks, and people dispersed, each going off to do their own thing. "Shall we continue to explore the ship?" Samantha asked nicely, and I nodded.

"Although I feel as though everyone else has the same idea," I followed her back into the entryway. "We could look at the theatre,"

"I heard there's a huge library on-board," She smirked, which got my attention. "They are even serving chocolate biscuits and tea! We should go there instead,"

"Let's go!" I suggested, and we both walked up the grand staircase again and turned left, Samantha searching the rooms until she found a giant parlor painted with gold accents.

"This must be it," She walked inside, and I followed, surprised that there was already quite a few people inside; all girls except for me. "It looks like a princess room!" She whispered, walking over to a small table where three girls were having their tea and biscuits. "May I please join in?" She curtsied politely, and once the girls recognized she was Duchess Harcourt, they moved aside to let her join in.

I, on the other hand, intended to just get a few books and read them in the privacy of my own room. I soon found a tall bookshelf that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, painted in a stained mahogany. I walked over there and scanned the titles of the books I could see, finding them all to be classics-and most of them I had read already.

"Hey, are you looking for something?" A girl asked me politely, walking over. I jumped when I heard her voice, blushing.

"Y-yeah...I've read most of these...are there any new books?" I asked shyly, looking down at my feet.

"New books? Of course!" The redhead grinned and motioned for me to follow her. I did, and she brought me over to several smaller shelves positioned by an open window, letting the sea breeze blow in. Having an open window near all these books seemed like a bad idea to me. "These are the new releases. I just got one myself!" She gestured to the shelf proudly, and I nervously thanked her and hurried over to the smallest shelf, already pulling out three books at once.

I decided I would read those three for now and come back later, but when I tried to walk away, I fell to my knees, suddenly dizzy.

"Are you alright?" The girl asked nervously; there was suddenly three of her now.

"I...don't know...I feel sick," I admitted before vomiting all over the carpet. Several girls screamed and ducked into a corner, despite me being nowhere near them.

"Joanne?" Samantha asked worriedly, standing up.

"He is merely seasick. I have seen people like this before," The girl assumed, and I held my head, somehow only now noticing she had a thick accent.

"Should we take him to the infirmary?" Samantha scooped up my books for me in her arms.

"Only if it lasts for more than a few days. But for now, bring him to his room," The girl spun on her heel and left, and Samantha nodded, gently helping me up to my feet.

"Can you walk?" She asked, and I very slowly nodded.

"Just...barely," I croaked out. Samantha nodded again and let me lean on her, keeping a tight grip on my arm as she walked us back to our room. "This is so embarrassing," I coughed, praying very strongly that nobody I knew would see me like this.

"You're just seasick, you're not dying," We soon reached our room and she pushed open the door, dropping me on my bed, which amazingly was painted blue, just like my room in Weston. "I will get a nurse to bring you some lemon," She stacked the books on the desk in the room and left the door open.

I rolled over onto my side, thankful my room had a window, albeit a small one. I read that if one comes down with seasickness, they should look out the window. Although lemon would certainly help.

"He is seasick too? Goodness gracious. I will have to fetch more lemons from the kitchen," A maid sighed, and I heard the door open and close. I briefly wondered who else was sick-Adam maybe, or even Anastasia? Or maybe Samantha had gotten seasick and was only now showing it.

A few minutes later, the maid came back with a glass of water and lemon inside it. The water was fizzy. "Here," She gently helped me sit up and sip the water, squeezing the lemon into it.

"Thanks," I managed to smile lightly. "Who else is sick?"

"Your parents are," The maid answered, leaving the water on my nightstand. "Please continue to lie down. Otherwise all the liquid will come back up," I nodded and did indeed lie back down, trying to even picture my proud father being seasick. It boggled my mind, to say the least.

After making sure I was comfortable, the maid left the water on the table and left. "Call me if you need anything,"

"How are you feeling?" Samantha asked in a concerned tone, standing in my doorway. I twitched slightly, feeling too sick to lift my head. "I will take that as a 'not very good,'" She chuckled and walked a bit closer to me. "Good news is, it only lasts for a day or so. Maybe even sooner than that. Father is very upset though. He planned a really fancy dinner for us tonight,"

"I don't feel like dinner," I winced, feeling the sickness come on stronger. "But it might be nice to meet some of the other passengers,"

"I know! I simply must know if Elizabeth or Annelise are here!" She squealed. "I doubt it, but you never know,"

"I hope Cole isn't here," I grumbled under my breath. "It is bad enough I have to deal with him at school," I rolled onto my side.

"He shouldn't be. You say he likes to brag about things, right? But he never mentioned anything like that. So here, at least, you are safe from him," She stated, leaving the room. I briefly thought about ringing the maid for a bucket, but I humored the thought for too long because before I realized it, I threw up on the floor and the maid came running in anyway to clean it up.

############

That evening, our parents had made a very miraculous recovery and insisted we all join them for dinner in the extravagant dining room. I had no say in the matter, so I allowed the valet to dress me in a formal suit and tie a white ribbon into my hair, then hurried into the parlor to meet up with my family.

"Look at the little brother! All dressed up for dinner!" Adam winked at me. I blushed when I realized our suits looked alike.

"I hope they won't make me socialize for long. I still feel slightly faint," Mother warned, pulling open her lacy fan.

"I feel hardly anyone will be there, darling. All the better for us to have the room to ourselves," Father reassured her, glancing at us. I nervously straightened myself up and followed Samantha out of our suite and into the main dining area, which was decorated in mint and silver accents.

"Duke Harcourt?" The host asked nervously, then once he eyed everyone down, he smiled. "Right this way," He bowed and led us to a large table in the middle of the room, pulling out Mother's chair. Adam pulled out Anastasia's, and I sat near the end next to Samantha.

"It looks like dinner for tonight is roast beef," She gently nudged me and whispered, and my stomach flopped at the thought of having to eat anything.

"Oh my gosh, that is Samantha!" A girly voice reached my ears, and a girl dressed like a sailor hugged Samantha from behind. "I knew you would be on this ship with us!"

"Elizabeth!" Samantha smiled back at her. "This is my best friend, Lady Midford. This is my family, Elizabeth," She gently gestured to us. I gave a shy wave, making Elizabeth giggle.

"This is my family! My mother, father, and big brother!" She pointed out. My eyes widened slightly.

"Midford?"

"Harcourt?" Midford finally registered my appearance. "How strange it is, running into you here. Are you going to dine with my family?"

"No. My family is going to eat alone." Father said bluntly.

"That is fine by me," Midford's mother glared at my own mother slightly, and quietly dragged her children away.

"What happened?" Samantha instantly asked once they were unable to hear us anymore.

"Nothing. I would just prefer to eat with my own family, and them to eat with their own," Our food arrived and Father busied himself with eating. "Not everything has to be overdramatic,"

"I wouldn't have minded eating with them. They seemed like well-read and friendly folk!" Adam admitted, cutting up some of Anastasia's food for her. She gave him a glare in protest, but made no move to stop him.

"I wanted Elizabeth to eat with us though," Samantha said quietly, drinking some of her tea.

"I saw her brother at school a while back. He's actually quite nice. He praised my cricket skills," I finally spoke up, stirring my soup in my bowl. "Nobody's really noticed me play before, so to be praised by someone as good as him-"

Mother loudly snapped her fan closed, placing it in her lap. "When is your match again? I forgot,"

"June 4th. I know Father isn't able to come, but I'd like if the rest of you could come," I smiled lightly. Mother wasn't really one for sports, or social events, but surely my sisters and Adam could come? I kept picking at my food, feeling too sick to eat.

"I'd love to come! Watch my little brother beat the other sorry teams at cricket," Samantha chuckled.

"Well, my team is the best. We've won several years in a row," I said quietly, laughing. I could feel Father's eyes on me, wondering why I wasn't touching my food.

"I wouldn't mind coming either. You'll need the support," Adam finished his food and gently pushed his place away, leaving his silverware on top.

I smiled slightly at their support and sipped my tea quietly, feeling Father's eyes still on me.

"What is going on over there?" Anastasia asked curiously, and we all turned to see several people complaining about someone's servant who had...scales?

"Some minor inconvenience we don't need to worry ourselves over." Father decided, finishing his own meal.

The maid from earlier came over and refilled our tea cups. "Oh, it's you!" She smiled politely at me and I noticed her eyes were a dark shade of teal. "Feeling better,"

"No conversing with him," Mother frowned, hiding behind her fan again. The maid blushed as bright as her hair and nodded, hurrying away. I blushed slightly as well and stared down at my food, finally having a bit of an appetite as I gently sipped my soup.

After a few more minutes, Father decided we had sat there long enough and rose, looking at everyone. "Still eating? You should've finished that long ago," He stared me down, making my appetite leave again as I gulped and stood up, pushing my food away.

"He's likely still seasick," Anastasia said with a hint of distaste in her tone.

"Tomorrow we should go to the theatre and see if anything interesting is playing!" Samantha said to me happily, and I smiled slightly to her.

We returned to our suite and Father sent us all to bed, and I had no choice but to shut my door and let a valet change me for bed. I crawled into the plush green sheets and pulled out one of the books I had packed for the trip, happy I was able to focus on that instead of the constant swaying motion of the ship. I read for a few hours before finally turning in.

########

The next day or so passed uneventfully. True to her word, Samantha did take me to the theatre but was unable to find anything good, so we spent the day rollerskating on the deck of the ship with Elizabeth and reading in the reading room. I found it uneventful, yes, but not boring. It was the perfect time for me to just relax and enjoy spending time with my sister.

"We'll be arriving in New York City in just a few days! Isn't it exciting?" Adam gushed when Samantha and I returned for the day. Our rollerskates were still placed next to the door.

"We can finally get a change of scenery. I like ships, but one can only look at the ocean for so long," Mother lamented, adjusting her earrings.

"I'm excited to see some new things too," I added with a smile.

"You two were out awfully late. It's already ten," Father scolded the instant he saw Samantha and I, eyeing us down.

"We were just in the library when we lost track of time. Elizabeth had to prepare for a party her parents were throwing and left early, then I just forgot to check the time," She answered quickly, and it was the truth.

"Come on, let the kids have their fun," Adam laughed, ruffling my hair. "They don't have a fiancee to keep them busy,"

There was a sudden jolt from the ship, and some jewels on the above chandelier rattled.

"What was that?" Mother demanded, standing up.

"We must've hit something," Adam said, running out of the room. "I heard we would be heading into dangerous waters. I need to check with the captain!"

"Stay in here! If the ship hit something, don't you want to be in a more secure room?" Samantha demanded, running after him. Other people had taken notice of the shake, as the hallway was filled with people talking loudly with each other.

"Nonsense. This ship didn't hit anything. And even if it did, it probably didn't damage it," Father huffed.

I shuffled in embarrassment before running out of the room as well, intending to find Samantha.

"Samantha? Samantha! Where are you?" I called loudly, searching the hallways. I started to open the library door before I heard a blood-curdling scream come from somewhere nearby. I slowly turned in that direction to see several people either trying to fight off or run away from what I could only describe as being the living dead.

"Joanne!" Samantha spotted me and pulled on my arm roughly, pushing me into the library. "Did you see them too?" I nodded. "What is the living dead doing on this ship?"

"Where's Adam?" I asked instead, as I had no answer.

"Still on-deck. I think he's trying to help people into lifeboats. I heard the captain is dead and the ship is sinking! It hit an iceberg!" Despite the very high possibility of us dying, she spoke with excitement in her eyes. "Come on! We have to get Anastasia and our parents into a lifeboat!" She pulled me out of the library and through the hallway, noticing the coast was clear.

"But what about those...things? Won't they eat us?"

"They can't eat everyone!" The ship creaked loudly and nearly slammed us into a wall. Anastasia found us shortly after, dressed in very warm clothes.

"One of the maids told us we have to head for the lifeboats!" She said, and we both nodded.

"Are Mother and Father coming?" Samantha asked, and Anastasia nodded. "Adam is still alive, but you two have to hurry and get on the lifeboats," She gently nudged her in the opposite direction and took off running with me again in a different direction.

"There's more lifeboats here," Samantha whispered to me, arriving on the main deck. "But there's so many people here,"

People were all shouting and shoving each other, sometimes off the deck, just to get into a lifeboat. I felt myself tremble and hid behind Samantha. "There!" She tugged on my arm and shoved some people out of her way, climbing into a lifeboat that barely had any people in it. Adam was inside and hugged us tightly.

"You two! You didn't get bitten, did you?" He asked in a concerned tone, but we both shook our heads. Anastasia managed to find us and get inside, as well as our parents. A few more women and some younger children climbed inside before they started to loosen the ropes.

"It's going to be so cold out there in the water. If it's cold enough for icebergs to form, then it's cold enough to make us freeze," Mother stated calmly, and I stared at her slightly.

"We'll be fine because we're in a boat though," Samantha tried to reassure her as one of the ropes was loosened, making our boat jolt slightly in one direction. I tightly held onto my seat so I wouldn't fall off.

I then noticed the maid from earlier looking around worriedly, noticing me and staring at our ship.

"Ready!" One of the sailors in our boat shouted just before the last rope was loosened, and in that split second, I jumped up and pulled the maid down into the boat with us just as it fell and dropped down into the water with a large splash. The maid fell on top of me and we both fell to the floor, making me blush.

"Oh, goodness! You...saved me," She said in surprise, standing up and sitting next to Samantha. I got up as well and simply smiled, feeling my parents' disapproving looks staring into me.

"You saved a maid." Father started as I sat down again on Samantha's other side. "And why?"

"I am glad he did, sir. I was afraid that in the ruckus...I would be forgotten and left to drown, or shoved overboard," The maid explained shyly. "I am Maire,"

"Oh, you're from Ireland! I thought your accent sounded familiar!" Samantha gushed.

"I am!" Maire smiled widely at her, brushing some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"You have the same name as the Irish princess," Anastasia stated.

"Oh...it is a popular name in Ireland because of her," Maire looked uncomfortable and stared off into the distance.

The sailor in our boat was still rowing us away from the sinking ship, looking back behind him. I could hear the screams of the people jumping off the ship and drowning and I tried my hardest to squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to drown out the sounds. If I could, I would've saved them all. I told myself this, even though I didn't have much confidence in the thought. Even saving Maire had been an accident.

"I hope the rescue won't take terribly long to get us," Mother sighed, trying in vain to readjust her bun which had gotten loose from the chaos. "You! Help me with this!" She directed Maire, who gasped slightly and nodded, carefully tying Mother's bun back in place.

"They won't take long if they know what's good for them," Father said with the edge of a threat in his voice.

"We aren't in control of the rescue," Samantha said to herself very quietly so only I could hear her. Despite us being out in the water and not actually in it, the air was very frigid and I shivered slightly despite my heavy jacket.

"If it's this cold on the boat, I hate to imagine how much colder that water must be," Maire shuddered, likely from the cold and the thought both.

"I imagine it feels like a thousand knives," Adam chimed in, the first thing he offered since getting in. "All cutting you at the same time,"

My face turned green and I rested my head on Samantha's shoulder, bracing myself for the long night we had ahead of ourselves.

#########

After the rescue ship arrived after forty-five minutes or so, we were all picked up and wrapped up warmly and sent on a passing ship back to Southampton. I sadly didn't see Maire again because she was placed in a separate part of the ship, but that thought was quickly forgotten as I reminded myself I had to start school back up again. It was nearing the end of the semester once more and everyone got rowdy around this time, meaning I was going to be their sole target once again.

"Welcome back to Weston!" One of the maids greeted me as I walked into the gate. My hair was down, so I briefly flicked my eyes up at her in recognition before continuing on my way. I scanned the schoolyard and thankfully didn't see any sign of Cole or his friends, so I allowed myself to smile slightly. I didn't want to have any hope that this semester could be good, but there was still a tiny part of me that felt like it would be different, at least.

#############

I walked into my room to put my things away when I noticed someone else in the room, setting up their own side, and I froze completely. The stranger had dark red hair and dark eyes, and I tilted my head as I tried to place where I saw such features before.

"Good morning! I hope you don't mind the sudden intrusion," He blushed lightly, speaking with an accent. "My old roommate left the school, so they assigned me with a new one. Hello, I'm Marcas O'Kelly," He held his hand out for me to shake, and it suddenly hit me.

"You're the Prince of Ireland!" I gasped, and he nodded. I dropped my bag on my bed.

"Nice to know I am still popular," Marcas laughed slightly. "I'm assuming you're Harcourt?" I nodded. "Such a regal title for such a young boy. Well, you'll grow into it one day, no worries," He turned his back to me and continued setting up his half, so I quietly took my belongings out and placed them where they all belonged, wanting to arrive early for tea for once.

"Before I forget," O'Kelly announced suddenly, making me jump out of my skin. "You remember that maid you saved on the _Campania_?" I nodded again, unsure of where this was going, though I had a vague idea. "That was my sister, Princess Maire. She is very thankful to you and I am too. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just let me know, okay?" He placed a hand on my head, and I nodded rapidly.

"Y-yes, Your Highness," I mumbled nervously. "Forgive me if it's a rude question, but why was your sister dressed like that if she's...a princess?"

"She enjoys helping people less fortunate, but feels people will take her more seriously if she looks like one of them. So she pretended to be a maid to get a ticket onto the _Campania_. It ends badly for her sometimes though," His eyes glazed over slightly, and I respected the silence and finished putting my things away.

"It's almost time for tea," I reminded him, quietly leaving the room myself. Things were happening too quickly. I really needed to just take a break, and classes hadn't even started yet.

"Are you Harcourt?" A fourth-year asked me curiously in the hallway, holding something behind his back. I nodded slowly, and he extended an invitation to me. "It's for the Midnight Tea Party. One of the Prefects invited you. Don't be late," He said in a rush, thrusting the paper to me when I didn't take it and then hurrying away. I gingerly held the paper myself and read it, finding what he said was indeed true.

But why invite me, of all people? I wasn't a Fag to one of the Prefects. Maybe Redmond had noticed my talent, but I highly doubted it. Either way, I wasn't about to let this chance pass me by. I arrived at the tea room early and got my tray, carefully sitting down at a table of other second-years.

"Did you hear about that student that went missing?" One of them was saying, making me look up.

"Yeah, he was Her Majesty's nephew, right?" A dark-haired boy recalled. "I wonder how she feels about that,"

"I bet he just graduated early. He was an amazing musician. You ever hear him play the cello?" The third boy commented. I sipped my tea as I listened to them talk, also wondering about the state of the student. He was in Scarlet Fox, so I heard of him, but he was several years above me so our paths never crossed. Still, it was terrible if he went missing. I wondered what the school was going to do about it.

"Hey Harcourt! How was your vacation?" The third boy finally noticed my presence, smiling at me.

"It was good," I mumbled quietly. "My family and I sailed on the _Campania_ ,"

"It sunk," The first boy said matter-of-factly. "About 12,000 people died or something,"

"Well, I didn't," I said a bit louder, setting my cup down. I wasn't even close to drowning. I clutched the invitation in my pocket.

"Isn't that such a shame? I think you'd feel right at home with the fish," Cole smirked at me, coming up from behind one of the boys. "Although the fact you were even able to afford tickets in the first place is astounding,"

"I bet they were in third-class," One of Cole's friends snickered meanly. He walked over to me and picked up my fork, breaking one of my biscuits in half with it. "The E Deck,"

"We were in first class. And why is that any of your concern?" I spoke up a bit loudly.

"Because I need you to know your place," Cole said smoothly. "Even if you are rich, you're still not the richest family in London. And besides, who are you to stop me?"

I stared down at my tray, feeling that phrase stab my heart. He was right. "I'll see you at the tea party," I whispered under my breath after he left. That thought brightened my mood slightly. If I went to the exclusive tea party, Cole would have no more leverage on me. I would've been invited by one of the Prefects themselves, and I wanted to see the look on Cole's face when he saw me there. That was something to look forward to, at least.

########

After classes were over for the day, I went back to my dorm and got myself dressed for the tea party, wearing the deepest red with my hair tied back. I needed to truly look the part, after all. O'Kelly walked in when I was staring into the mirror and chuckled slightly.

"Going out for a dinner date?" He asked, making me blush heavily. "Relax, relax. Where-ever you're going, you'll be the best-dressed person there,"

"I was invited to a party," I said simply, holding my coat closer to my body.

"Like I said, the best-dressed person there. I feel richer just looking at you,"

"Thank you?" I shrugged, feeling nervous. I left my dorm and went into our parlor, wanting to kill some time before I headed to the gazebo. Several fifth-years noticed me come in and waved me over.

"And where are you going?" A blond asked me, smirking. "Awfully fancy for just going to the library,"

"I'm going to the Midnight Tea Party. I was invited." I said quietly.

"Seriously? Redmond invited you?" A black-haired boy questioned in curiosity. "Whoa,"

"I wish I could be invited," A redhead whispered to himself.

"Maybe you'll be next time!" I said with a smile. After all, if I got invited, anything was possible, right?

After the clock chimed, I said goodbye to the boys and hurried off, making sure I was going the right way. I had only gone to the gazebo once before, so the directions weren't fresh in my mind, but I didn't want to ask for any.

I stepped outside into the cool spring night and saw the path leading up to the gazebo and the building where the tea party would be held, so without hesitation, I held my head up high and walked down the path, pulling open the door handle.

...Or I tried to, soon realizing it was locked. "Hello?" I called, knocking on the door. I stood there for a while until I realized what had happened to me. Cole had set me up. And just like a fool, I had fallen for it. I angrily kicked the door and ran back to my dorm, knowing my blunter would be known to the school by tomorrow. I pushed open the door to my dorm and was relieved when I didn't see O'Kelly anywhere. I angrily pulled my ponytail out and noticed my desk's drawer was opened slightly.

I pulled it open more to find my invitation inside, along with a handwritten note from Cole that explained if I told anybody about what happened, I was dead. I threw myself onto my bed and clutched both pieces of paper to my chest, crying.

##########

After lunch the next day, I went to the library to return some books I had finished and look for some new ones. Not a lot of people were in the library today, which was good. I needed a break from people for a while. I went to the German section and wandered through some of the shelves, looking up and finding the book I wanted on a very high shelf. I jumped up and down several times to reach it, only to sigh slightly. "I can't reach," I said to myself.

"Need some help?" A teacher's voice reached my ears, and he reached up and grabbed the book for me. I recognized him as the new warden for Sapphire Owl, Mr. Michaelis. "Who are you, might I ask?"

"H-Harcourt. I'm a second-year," I smiled awkwardly.

"This book is in the original German too," He noticed, and I nodded as he handed me the book. "You must have a lot of friends if you are this intelligent at such a young age,"

"Oh, I don't really have any friends," I answered quickly, and it was partially true. A few of the members of my House weren't terrible, and I had O'Kelly, but I wouldn't really call any of them friends of mine. "Nobody here really likes me," I hung my head, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

Mr. Michaelis took my chin gently and wiped my tears away. "What is all of this? Why would so many people dislike you?"

"They think I'm a liar," I tightly clutched the book to my chest.

"That doesn't seem like anything to hate someone over. Surely, it is all just a misunderstanding?" He looked at me slightly. "Why don't you come to the chapel with me this evening and pray about it?"

Before I could even think much about it, Mr. Michaelis had vanished, and I blinked a few times in surprise. "Where...did he go?" I shook my head and just checked my book out, then went back to my dorm, hearing some people in the courtyard all buzzing about a new and mysterious first-year who had arrived recently.

"I think his father went here a long time ago!" A fifth-year from Sapphire Owl explained. "I wonder if he'll become Prefect like his father?"

"He comes from such a prestigious family! Anyone would be lucky to have him here," A Violet Wolf announced.

"He could've fit into any House, I think." A Green Lion mused. I went back inside my own House before I could hear any of the rest, Mr. Michaelis' invitation still hanging in my head.

Perhaps I would take him up on that offer. After all, what else did I have to lose? I placed the book on my desk and hurried off to my next set of classes.

##########

True to my word, I arrived at the chapel when the sun was close to setting. Mr. Michaelis was already waiting outside for me, ushering me inside once I got close enough.

"It's very quiet in here," He noticed, making me jump out of my skin.

"Y-yes..." I blinked.

"Why don't we sit down?" He motioned to some pews in the middle of the room, and I swallowed and sat down in one of them, looking up at one of the windows. "Now, have you thought about what I said?"

"A little bit," I admitted. "And I'm not lying either!"

"Why would I think that?" He raised an eyebrow. "You mentioned earlier the others think you're a liar. Why is that?"

I stared at him slightly, wondering if I really could trust him. But then again, we were in a chapel, and weren't confessions made here daily? And such confessions never left the room? I was sure even Mr. Michaelis would respect that. "It was because of another student...Cole," I started, taking a deep breath. "I received an invitation to a tea party and told some people, but he set it up and made it look like I lied. But I really did have the invitation. I found it in my desk. He said if I told anyone else, I was in trouble," I felt tears welling up in my eyes again and I quickly hung my head, covering up my face.

Mr. Michaelis simply nodded.

"And he also told people I lied about my title. I-I don't know how anyone believed that one. Most people know of my father's title and wealth," I quickly added.

"I see. And do you feel better sharing this with me?" He asked, and I nodded.

"But please! Don't tell anybody else what I said," I worried when I saw him rise. "I don't want anyone else to know, most of all Cole. I'm afraid of what he'd do,"

"Have you forgotten I'm a teacher? I don't have to tell him a single thing," He pressed his fingers to his lips, and I sighed slightly in relief. "How about I walk you back to your dorm? It's getting late and I would hate for you to get into trouble,"

"I-I can walk back myself!" I said nervously, already heading for the doorway. "Thank you for the offer though, I appreciate it," I quickly slipped out of the chapel and went back to my dorm.

Once I was back at my dorm, I set my stuff down on my desk and started to work on my homework, taking out my science since I had the most trouble on that. As I worked, O'Kelly walked into the room and loudly set his stuff down on his own desk.

"What are you working on?" He asked me nicely.

"Science," I continued working, not wanting big ink blots on my paper.

"That stuff seems really hard. You're only a second-year, right?" He peeked over my shoulder, amazed. I blushed heavily.

"Yeah...but I-I take a lot of advanced classes. But this is actually the science for my year. I'm just not very good at science." I put my pen up in its holder and looked at what I had written so far, frowning when I realized the equation was far too high. But where had I messed up?

"Are you excited for our cricket match?" O'Kelly continued to talk, sitting down at his desk and pulling out some grammar work. "I am. Maire will be there for sure. I can meet my friends' families. And hey, your parents are coming too, right?"

I winced and looked down at my work. "Are yours?" I asked quietly.

"Probably. But it is hard to be there for your family when you are a ruler. Maire and I hardly see them, honestly." In spite of the changed topic, he still spoke cheerfully. "But I don't mind that. I mean, yeah I miss them, but they're doing important things for our country. So I respect that," He noticed my expression and finally frowned. "What about your parents? Aren't they coming?"

"No." I choked out. "Father has business to do in Liverpool. Mother says she will come, but she doesn't like to be out and socialize for long. So it'll likely just be my sisters and my oldest sister's fiance." Admitting it sounded pathetic. I thought of Redmond and figured his parents would come. I bet even Cole's parents would come. But mine wouldn't. And even if they did, Father would just find something to scold me over. And Samantha would praise me just because she had to.

"Well, surely you're still proud of your father? A man like that...I'm sure he would come if he could," O'Kelly smiled lightly, and I turned back to my work.

He wouldn't. If it was Samantha or Anastasia asking him to go to some event for them, he'd go in a heartbeat.

Somehow he had decided I wasn't worth his time, and that hurt me more than anything Cole or his friends could do. If even a king sometimes made time for his son, then what was I in Father's eyes?

##############

After tea I headed to Violet Wolf for my watercolouring class, wondering why that class couldn't just be held in our dorms. I disliked walking to Violet Wolf, especially by myself. I kept my head down as I walked inside, hurrying down the hallways.

"Hey, watch where you're going," Someone glared at me, and I shrunk down slightly, hiding my face. "Hey, ya from Scarlet Fox, right? I can tell. You're all prissy and prim," He laughed, walking away. I shivered slightly and hurried even faster along, this time trying to look in front of me so I didn't run into anybody else.

Only when I stepped inside the classroom did I finally sigh in relief. The room's large windows were open and a small breeze blew in, fluttering the pale curtains. I took my seat in the corner of the room and waited for everyone else to come in, getting my canvas out from the back of the room.

"Good morning, everyone!" Our professor smiled cheerfully. "Work hard today, as your paintings will be due at the end of class," He stood in the front of the room to watch us, and I could hear peoples' nervous chatter around me. It barely fazed me though. I am a fast painter, so I was nearly done. All I had to do now was some mixing and redrawing some of the rougher lines.

I was quite proud of this piece, of a simple cottage in a field. I had a brief thought that maybe Father would like to see it before I put it out of my head. I got out the earthly tones I needed to finish from the table in the center of the room and got to work, only stopping when I realized the green wasn't wet enough. I got up and carefully moved the pot to the middle of the room again, where a can of water was kept for us to wet the paints with. I picked up the fork and stirred the water a bit, tapping the fork on the side to dry it.

"Oh, whoops!~" Cole's voice reached my ears, and I was suddenly aware of his elbow shoving the can off the table and splashing it all over my front and the floor.

"Cole!" I gasped in surprise, tightly clutching the fork.

"Why are you angry at me? I'm not the one with bad balance," His smirk grew wider as he stared at the small puddle at my feet. "Or bladder control,"

"What happened here?" The professor finally hurried over, glancing at the mess.

"Oh, Professor! Harcourt had a little accident!~" He feigned surprise and disgust, gasping. "How embarrassing!"

Several people in the room started to giggle and whisper, and I could feel my face heating up from embarrassment, which I knew wasn't helping my case at all.

"Goodness. Go back to your dorm and change clothes," The professor frowned.

I didn't want to. I had to finish my picture. It was just water on me, after all. Yet somehow I couldn't form those words and instead nodded slowly, bowing my head. "I-I won't be too long," I whispered, hurrying out of the room. In my rush I realized I had left my bag behind and I was still holding onto the green paint. I gently placed it outside another classroom and darted off, feeling upset.

Stupid Cole. All of my problems at school stemmed from him. I knew it was a wrong thought, but I wished someone would put him in his place just for one day. But would that ever happen? Maybe that's why I felt comfortable dwelling on it so much.

###############

A few days later, I was trying to do my homework outside when someone walked up to me, making me look up. Instantly I panicked slightly, since I hadn't seen the student before in my life. But maybe I had and I just had a bad memory, in which case he'd probably get mad at me for forgetting. "Are you Harcourt?" He asked, and I nodded.

"W-what do you want?" I asked nervously. The boy was a lot shorter than I was and was in Sapphire Owl, judging by his uniform. He only had one eye and it reminded me of the person I saw on the _Campania_.

"You're familiar with Cole, correct?"

"Y-yes," I also nodded for emphasis. What did he want with Cole? Maybe he had been another unwilling victim and was now trying to see if he was the only one. If that was true, it seemed weird to me that Cole would go after someone in a totally different House. Or maybe it did since it'd be easier to hide?

"Has he ever bullied you? Has he ever forced you to do things you didn't want to do?" His voice sounded stern and so...business-y.

"Y-yes...I mean, he's bullied me. B-but he's never forced me to do something I haven't wanted to do,"

"What has he done to you?"

I shook my head, not wanting to get into that. There was the big things, but there were also lots of smaller things that he's done that this boy would likely make fun of me for. The boy narrowed his eyes at me, but I just returned to my work. I said all I wanted to say.

He continued to stare at me for a while before turning and walking away, and I sighed in relief under my breath. That was too nerve-wracking for me. I wondered why he cared so much about what Cole did to me. He certainly seemed like someone Cole would pick on since he was wearing an eyepatch, but I also wasn't him. I couldn't tell who he would pick on and who he would leave alone.

I continued doing my work, keeping a firm grim on my book so my things wouldn't fall out. Luck wasn't on my side though, as a sudden wind blew out of nowhere and took my assignment with it, making me drop my book on the bench and rush after it. "Come back!"

I kept running after it, my hands outstretched. I thought about how ridiculous I must've looked to a passerby, but tried to forget that thought as I continued to run. I eventually ran right into somebody else hard enough to make me fall down, rubbing my head. "Ouch..."

"Fancy running into you here, Harcourt," Redmond said in surprise, making me jump up and bow slightly. In his hands he held my assignment. "I suppose your test results are blowing us all away," He handed me the paper and I blushed heavily. "Good thing I got this before somebody else did. You know those Violet Wolf students probably would've thrown it away,"

I nodded slowly, hurrying away from Redmond. I was always so awkward around him. I had dreams of becoming his Fag, but I'd probably mess up everything he asked me to do. I placed my paper inside my book and shut it loudly, hurrying back to my dorm again.

############

"Look at this!" O'Kelly said cheerfully, holding a bunch of pictures in his hands. I looked up from my work and noticed his huge grin. "I think you will like this. Someone from Sapphire Owl threw these pictures all over campus!" He handed me one of them and I looked at it in shock. "Recognize this person?"

"Is this...Cole?!" I asked in disbelief. I covered my mouth to stifle the huge giggle I felt coming out, but it couldn't be contained and I started laughing softly. It was a picture of him putting on his makeup in the morning, and he just looked so funny to me. "Where'd this come from?"

"Nobody knows. They came from Sapphire Owl, and that is all anybody can figure out," He shrugged.

I recalled that boy from a while ago asking me questions about Cole. He was in Sapphire Owl. Did he do this? No, I couldn't just pin this on him, that would be mean. Still, I was thankful to whoever did this. It took Cole down a peg, which was something I secretly wanted.

"What I do know is that he got in trouble with Redmond. He's not his Fag anymore," He locked the pictures up in his drawer. I wondered why he even had so many.

"Who is to be the new Fag?" I asked curiously, but O'Kelly shrugged again.

"Likely one of Redmond's friends. Or one of the seventh or eighth years. Someone with a lot of experience. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't pick for a while though. He seemed extremely angry when he fired him,"

I couldn't even imagine Redmond being angry. Annoyed, perhaps, but not extremely angry. It didn't seem to be an emotion he was capable of. I turned back to my work, having a hard time focusing because all of my thoughts were on who the new Fag would be. Part of me hoped it would be O'Kelly. He seemed to be trustworthy, friendly and helpful, which I figured were traits Redmond wanted. After all, those traits would represent Scarlet Fox well. Plus they were the opposite of Cole's true personality, and the further we could get from him, the better.

###############

After tea the next morning, I was excused from my watercolour class because I was to apparently meet with Redmond. He had sent for me personally, and I suddenly felt my breakfast turn heavy in my stomach. For some reason, I thought I was in trouble with him, even though I had done nothing wrong. But why else would he want to speak with me? I hurried to Redmond's dorm, knocking quietly on the door. Maybe if I knocked quietly, he wouldn't know I was there and I could make an easy escape.

Much to my dismay, however, he answered the door with a polite smile. "Harcourt! So glad you could make it! Please come in!" I nodded slowly and walked in, my eyes widening.

His dorm was so much bigger than mine! It was all painted in shades of peach and gold, which looked beautiful together. There were several other people sitting at a large table in the room, but I paid little attention to them. "W-why did you send for me?" I asked shyly, wanting to get right into it.

"Eager, are you? Perhaps I just asked you to come here to have a pleasant conversation. How was your morning tea?" He asked nicely, sitting at the head of the table. There was an empty chair next to him, and he gestured for me to sit there. I nervously sat.

"I-it was good, I suppose...I mean, it was just tea and biscuits..." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"What kind of tea?"

"Uh, blueberry...?" I finally mustered up the courage to look at the figures sitting around us and bit back a gasp when I realized they were the other Prefects and their Fags. Some impression I must've been making on them. Most of them just looked expectantly at me, but Midford was hiding his face in his hands as if he was disappointed in me. I didn't blame him. I was disappointed in myself too.

"Alright, now you must be wondering why I called you here." Redmond began calmly, and I nodded eagerly at him. Finally he would tell me and I could go back to classes. "Might as well get it over with." He stood up and bowed before me, making me blush heavily. "Harcourt, I would like you to become my Fag." He looked at me eagerly, and I felt like curling up and dying.

Redmond's Fag?! I had already screwed up some kind of test here, why did he want me so badly?! However, I also knew it would be extremely improper and impolite to just decline. So I swallowed and nodded. "I will become your Fag, Redmond." I said as politely and formally as I could. I then recited the school's motto, my eyes moving around because I wasn't sure of where to look. He smiled at me and stood back up.

"Everyone, meet the new Fag of Scarlet Fox. He has a lot to learn, to be sure, and I know he is fairly young, but that is part of the reason why I think he would be good. He is fairly uncorrupted and displays humbleness and kindness,"

I wasn't sure what to do next, so I just softly waved at the group. I wanted to go back to class.

"Welcome to the group." Bluester's Fag nodded at me, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm surprised he picked you. But looking back at it, you seem to be a good choice," Midford said, looking away.

"Such a young Fag though! Did you see him earlier? He looked like he was goin' to wet himself!" Violet's Fag laughed loudly, making me blush. I felt like out of all of them, me and him weren't going to get along.

"You four go to class now. We have important business to discuss," Bluester stated calmly, and the other three stood up and left the room. I stood up quickly and ran out as well, feeling embarrassed again.

I was really Redmond's Fag! How did that even happen?! And he seemed serious about it too! I stared at the school crest on my black jacket and imagined it being replaced with a dark red rose. Perhaps then I would finally get the respect I deserved.

##############

After lunch, I got called to the Swan Gazebo and I obliged, not wanting to get in trouble or make a bad first impression. When I arrived, Redmond had already arrived, as had Midford and his Prefect. I walked over to Redmond. "Yes?"

"Hold out your jacket, please," He directed, and I nodded and moved closer, holding out the part that had the crest on it. He pulled out a small rose and pinned it to my chest, making me wince. "Our flower. Wear it with pride, Harcourt." He smiled again, and I gave him an awkward smile back.

"Why am I here?"

"I think we're talking about preparations for June 4th. There's still a lot to be done," Midford informed me, and my eyes lit up. Preparing the event was always the job of the Prefects and their Fags, and every year they managed to put on an amazing spectacle. And this year, I could actually have a helping hand! "You seem excited,"

"I've always wanted to help work on the event! But I was never a Prefect Fag before," I explained shyly. "I-I have lots of good ideas!" I reassured Redmond as Violet and his Fag showed up. Violet had a sketchpad and sat down with it on his lap, drawing on it with a piece of charcoal. I wanted to ask him what he was working on, but didn't want to seem nosy.

Shortly after they arrived, Bluester and his Fag arrived.

"Looks like everyone is here!" Redmond announced. "Before we get started, why don't we all introduce ourselves?"

"Bluester." He responded quickly with disinterest. I already knew his name though.

"I'm Clayton, his Fag."

"Greenhill," The Prefect of Green Lion said stiffly.

"Midford," I waved to him shyly since I already knew him.

"I'm Cheslock! And this is Violet," The loud Fag from earlier announced, motioning to his Prefect.

"As you all probably know, I'm Redmond. And this is my new Fag, Harcourt. That is why I wanted everyone to introduce themselves because he is new here. He might not know all of you," Redmond explained, and I waved once more shyly.

"Since we have a lot to discuss today, why don't we get right into it?" Bluester suggested, adjusting his glasses.

"The tournament isn't for a few weeks! Do we really have to keep working on it? I've worked so hard these past few months," Cheslock grumbled.

"Oh, so you already have a theme planned? I bet it'll be the best out of all of us," Redmond mused.

I wondered to myself what kind of theme Scarlet Fox would do. Did Redmond have a theme already planned? I was picturing something really grand and regal, befitting what our House represented. And red and gold accents everywhere...

"Kings!" I shouted out without realizing what had happened. I blushed heavily and looked down.

"You think we should dress like kings for our entry? What a great idea!" Redmond smiled at me.

"Better than last year. They dressed like pirates. Why? It was weird, but still funny as hell," Cheslock laughed.

I remembered that. I never found out whose idea it was, but I wasn't about to forget how embarrassed I was in my giant hat and oversized coat. Samantha found the hat after I threw it away after the party and still has it in her room. She found the whole thing amusing, for some reason.

"Pirates collect treasure, right? So they'll likely become rich. In theory, it's not a bad idea," Clayton said. "I can understand the idea, at least,"

"We haven't decided on ours. I was thinking we could just go as knights again like last year," Midford said quickly.

"But you always go as knights! Why can't you come up with something more creative?" Cheslock stared at him.

"Being a knight is something to be proud of,"

"Just because you get to work for the all high-and-mighty queen?"

"Guys," Greenhill threatened.

A loud scratching noise came from Violet's notepad, making us all look over at him. "Whoops. My charcoal broke,"

"Why don't you go make some tea for us, Harcourt?" Redmond asked politely, and I nodded.

"Coming right up!" I smiled and hurried from the gazebo, making the tea as quickly as I could before placing it on a cart and pushing it out to the Prefects. "Here it is!"

"That was awfully quick. Does it even taste good?" Cheslock scoffed slightly, but Redmond prepared himself a cup and took a sip from it.

"This tastes really good, Harcourt! Far better than when Cole made it," He praised, and I felt myself beaming.

"Thank you!"

Someone hurried into the gazebo, looking worried for just a second. "You already started? But I thought the meeting started at five," He stated in confusion.

"It starts at two," Redmond tilted his head at him in curiosity. I recognized him as the boy who asked me questions a while ago. I was about to ask what he was doing there until I noticed the flower pinned to his chest. But who was he Fag to?

"So I'm late," He looked concerned about something. I smiled at him to show my support. He was likely overwhelmed, something I knew about all too well.

"Nothing to be done about that now. Just show up early next time," Bluester said.

"Everyone, this is my Fag, Phantomhive. You all probably know he is a first-year, so you wouldn't see him in any of your classes," Clayton motioned him over and he walked closer.

So his last name was Phantomhive. Was he Earl Ciel Phantomhive? I wondered what such a famous person was doing at our school. My sisters and I ate his company's candy a lot. I considered mentioning that but then figured he would find me strange. Maybe nobles weren't supposed to like his candy?

"What are you all discussing?" He asked.

"The cricket tournament," Clayton informed him, which was met with another confused expression.

"You don't know? It's Weston's pride and joy. It's a big event. It's on June 4th every year. Basically, we throw a huge party where all of our families are invited, and then the four houses play against each other!" I explained happily.

"Sapphire Owl hasn't won in nearly thirty years though," Cheslock mused. "And a lot of people think that was a fluke anyway,"

"Usually, we win," Redmond announced, lounging in his chair. "But we still appreciate the competition! Plus, it's the only time women are allowed on campus. Nothing's more fun than escorting a lady friend around on a tour!"

"But I barely ever see you with girls," Violet looked up from his pad, and Redmond shrugged. I chuckled.

"Our families all get to visit too, so that's fun. We get to see everyone's family," Redmond continued, and I briefly glanced over at Phantomhive, who seemed to look uncomfortable at that idea. I felt like he would still have more family members attend the event than I. I kept thinking to myself my sisters and Adam would come, but I couldn't even be sure of that. I then looked over at Bluester and wanted to change the subject.

"Are your sisters coming? Oh, how many did you have again? As you all know, I have two older sisters," I couldn't remember if they ever met Anastasia, but they've all certainly met Samantha.

"I have seven. Three older and four younger," Bluester said calmly, and I choked slightly. Phantomhive also seemed disturbed by this fact. I was already imagining all of the chaos that likely happened in his house daily. Two sisters were loud enough, I couldn't picture seven.

"That sounds like an absolute nightmare. One annoying kid sister is enough for me," Cheslock laughed slightly.

"I only have one younger sister, but she is a perfect little angel! She is calm, patient, quiet, and is never underfoot and minds her own business! She is an angel!" Midford exclaimed, making me look over at him.

"Who are you referring to?" Phantomhive muttered.

"Oh yeah, isn't your sister Phantomhive's fiancee?" Redmond mused, looking over at Phantomhive. "So, how far have you two taken it, exactly?"

"H-huh?!" He asked in confusion, blushing.

"You're a man, she's a girl. You haven't even kissed?" Cheslock laughed harder. I giggled myself, the laughter being infectious.

"Shame on all of you! Lizzy is a sweet angel who would never have such impure thoughts in her head!" Midford scolded everyone and I giggled harder.

"Ah, well, it doesn't matter. We'll all get to meet her at the tournament," Redmond shrugged and took another sip of his tea.

"I feel it would be awkward to play against your friends though," Phantomhive smiled lightly.

"It kinda is," I admitted, laughing awkwardly. Phantomhive seemed to have something else on his mind. "B-but we should still do our best!"

"You know, I have a friend in Violet Wolf," Phantomhive continued.

"So that's why you came in earlier!" Cheslock crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What's his name?"

"I don't know if you guys would know of him...he's Derrick Arden,"

The entire gazebo went stone-silent at that name. Violet broke his charcoal on his paper loudly. "I haven't heard that name in a while," He seemed to muse. "Yes, he was in Violet Wolf. But then he was moved. Headmaster's orders," He said in a rush.

Redmond handed me his tea cup and I started to pour it slowly, my hands shaking for some strange reason. I tried my hardest not to spill any drops.

"Really? Headmaster's orders?" Phantomhive repeated, sounding defeated. "I see. Thank you for telling me." He then left the gazebo, leaving the rest of us looking after him.

"What an odd question," Redmond mused to himself as I handed him his new cup.

"Yeah." Greenhill huffed. "I guess we're calling today's meeting short. We don't really have anything else of vital importance to discuss." He started to leave, and I stood up in surprise.

"Oh!" I put the lid back on the teapot and started to push the cart away, wondering why the atmosphere suddenly turned so tense. Was there something Redmond wasn't telling me?

###########

The next day our Fag duties were composed of getting the ballroom ready for the party by setting out carpets and decals and things like that. The others didn't seem very happy about the activity, but I was because I got to spend more time with everyone. Once we got some supplies, we all headed down to the ballroom, Cheslock and Midford arguing in the back over something.

"Are they always like this?" Phantomhive asked me in annoyance.

"Yes, actually." I nodded, giggling. "Their personalities clash. But I don't mind it. At the end of the day, we are all still friends!"

He stared at me and I blushed slightly and looked away. I suppose that was the wrong answer.

We then arrived in the ballroom and Midford set down his box, looking around. "It looks like a lot of the major decorations have already been taken of, so I think we'll just hang up ribbons and lay down rugs and things like that," He directed, and we all nodded. "So let's get to work!"

I unrolled the rug I was holding onto and let it slide onto the floor, then tossed it into a more suitable position, placing it near one of the large windows. I figured that was where the refreshment table would also be placed, so the rug would be in front of the table.

"So, what's the worst thing you guys have ever done?" Cheslock asked randomly, pulling out some paints and tracing the House logos onto some of the doors.

"What kind of a question is that?!" Midford demanded hotly.

"I just wanted to know. Though I suppose a tightass rich boy like you hasn't done anything bad in his life,"

"I too have done bad things! Once when Lizzy and I were younger, we ran through a wheat field. The farmer was so upset with us," He chuckled slightly at the memory. "I got such a huge scolding from Mother too,"

Cheslock blinked for a few seconds before looking at us. "Alright, anybody who's not Midford?"

"I once didn't turn in a really important project. I lied to the teacher that I had it done though, thinking I could throw something together in the morning. But then I overslept and I had no project. Dropped my grade down one whole letter," Clayton adjusted his glasses.

"Anyone else?" Cheslock then directed his attention to me. I blushed slightly.

What sort of bad thing had I done? Lots. I often wished for Cole to get his comeuppance. I envied my sisters greatly, wanting Father's attention. I every so often wished for something bad to happen to Father so I would be forced to take his role earlier and he would see I was a good match. But I couldn't just admit any of those things. They would seem weird coming out of my mouth. So instead I smiled. "I once broke one of my sister's dolls when we were children. I was so upset that I pretended to be her doll because it was one of those child-sized dolls. She didn't find out until later on that day when I grew hungry and my stomach growled," I laughed lightly.

That actually did happen. Anastasia, I feel, is still a bit peeved at me for doing that, even though breaking the doll was not my fault. And once Father learned what I had done, I was punished for a day and Anastasia got two new dolls that were even better than the one I broke.

"How about you," Cheslock nudged Phantomhive, who was poring over some of the paints alongside Clayton. He seemed flustered by that question as well.

"Oh, uh, sometimes I eat sweets before dinner and spoil my appetite. My butler scolds me dearly for it but I still do it," He said awkwardly.

"Yeah, that's lame too," Cheslock decided, going back to the doors. He was working on Scarlet Fox, using a lot of red paint on the emblem. Too much, I felt, as the colour was starting to run into the gold.

"Then what's the worst thing you've ever done?" Midford asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Me? I've stolen stuff. Broken stuff. I lie a lot too," He said without missing a beat. "Last week I stole this really nice necklace from a shopkeeper. But my sis would've loved it. And she did,"

"So you are a criminal!" Midford gasped.

"It isn't illegal if you do it to survive," He finished painting Scarlet Fox's door and moved onto Green Lion.

"You don't need a necklace to survive,"

"True."

"Here Harcourt, help me tie these to the pillars," Clayton handed me some silk ribbons and I nodded, following after him and tying the ribbons into fanciful bows. If my sisters really did come, they would appreciate the sight. I tied several before I ran out of ribbons and it was time for our next class.

"We're barely finished though," Midford noticed. "Will they give us extra time after our studies to continue?"

"I hope so," I added. There was more painting to be done.

"I heard the Prefects are going to finish this area up after lunchtime, so maybe they'll finish everything," Cheslock threw his hands behind his head and walked out of the ballroom before us, and we all followed, going to our separate classes.

######

Things were quiet for a while and I continued my studies, getting more and more excited as time went on for the tournament. O'Kelly promised he would cheer me on, and even though he wasn't my family, he was still kind to me and that was all I needed. I set my assignments down on my desk and pulled out my pen, getting ready to work on a large stack of homework when Redmond burst into my room, obviously in a flurry.

"Harcourt! I need your help!" He stated, pulling me out of my seat and out of the door, my pen still in my hand.

"W-wait! What happened?!" I asked nervously, finally finding my voice.

"Have you not heard? Violet Wolf's dorms are on fire! We need to help put out the blaze!" He did not slow his pace as he talked, but I nearly froze in my tracks.

On fire?! But how? To my knowledge, there was not anything flammable to be found in that House, and the fact it had started so late at night made me concerned. "What caused the fire?" I asked, following Redmond outside.

"I don't think they know yet," Most of our dorm was already outside on the lawn, and Redmond began issuing orders out to them, telling them to gather water from the river to douse the flames with.

"You can't come into our dorm!" I heard Violet's voice yelling at a group of students who were trying to put the fire out. "It's just something you can't do!"

"But we need to put out the fire!" Someone protested, holding out his bucket to show Violet. He still shook his head, and soon Cheslock joined him, repeating it.

"You need to let us in! Your pride doesn't matter in a time like this! People could be in danger!" Someone else from Scarlet Fox scolded him, and I recognized him as the newest addition, Kadar. My eyes widened slightly as Redmond thrust a medicine kit into my hands.

"Fine! But I'll get you all back for this, I swear!" Cheslock snapped as a final word, storming off. Redmond was still issuing orders to others, and I clutched the kit and waved my hand around.

"Please come over here if you are injured!" I yelled, trying to make my voice be heard over the chaos. I rushed away from Redmond and hurried over to some other second-years who were also tending to wounds. I placed my kit on the table and sat down on a stool, pulling over a first-year from Violet Wolf.

"The fire started so suddenly, I didn't even see what happened," He hiccuped, trying not to cry. "It got close to my wing and I thought the oils from the storage room would make it bigger,"

"You are safe now though, and the fire is being put out. So everything is okay!" I reassured him softly, looking over his body for wounds and finding some bruises on his hands. I motioned for him to hold them out and started pulling things out of the kit. "Are you a first-year?"

"Y-yes." He hiccuped again, nodding and trying to stand up straighter. "I'm Matterson. I was actually working on a new project with a few of my friends,"

"I see." I poured some alcohol onto his hands and then quickly wrapped them up with the bandage. "All better now!" I smiled at him nicely, and he slowly smiled back. His hair was bleached an unnatural shade of purple.

"Thank you!" He smiled back at me and hurried away, likely to join his friends. I continued sitting there to see if anyone else needed my aid, but it turned out he would be my only visitor for the night as soon the fire was out and the noise started to die down.

"We're leaving, Harcourt," The second-year sitting next to me informed me, already packing up. I nodded and started to put my things away too, giving the kit back to Redmond.

"Sorry about this. I'm sure it ruined your night," He apologized softly, walking with me back to my room. I simply laughed.

"It wasn't ruined! It was surprising, yes, but I enjoyed helping people." I walked inside my room.

"That is because of your kind and gentle soul, Harcourt. You should be careful that nobody takes advantage of that," He said quietly as I closed my door, and I stood there for a few seconds trying to figure out what he meant. I eventually thought he was just referring to what happened with Cole again and shook my head. I sat back down at my desk and continued my homework.

############

Before I knew it, it was time for the big ball that was always held before the tournament, but I was woken up by O'Kelly gently shaking me. "Wake up, Harcourt! It's June 4th!" He grinned widely and I jumped out of bed.

"Oh no! Did I oversleep?!" I gasped. The party wouldn't start until tonight, but I needed the entire day to put the costume on and finish preparations. O'Kelly chuckled.

"No. It is only six in the morning. But you need a lot of time to get dressed, right? You guys are going as kings this year, right?" He asked, and I nodded as I slipped on my uniform. "What a perfect fit for you! You would make a fine little prince,"

I blushed heavily and tied my hair up in a red ribbon, rushing out of the room to get tea. "Goodbye!" I yelled, flustered.

Teatime was extra noisy this morning and all of the talk was about the ball tonight and who was going to come. I sat down at a random table after getting my tray and sipped my tea lightly, feeling some people stare at me. I blushed even more at their eyes and looked down at my tray, nervously chewing on a biscuit.

"Hey there! You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" A loud voice asked me cheerfully, slamming his tray down. I looked up to see Kadar smiling hugely at me, and I nodded, feeling overwhelmed. "Thank you! I think I know everyone's names in this house aside from yours! So who are you?"

"I-I'm Harcourt," I said slowly, his excitement already making me feel shyer.

"Lovely! I'm Kadar! I think my friend told me about you already!" He started eating his biscuits first.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled nervously.

"Are you excited for the ball tonight? I sure am! It'll be fun to see everyone all dressed up!"

"Oh, you were picked to represent us at the tournament?" I asked in surprise. "Though, I suppose that makes sense. They play cricket in India, don't they?"

"Yes! In fact, I even had my own team back at the palace!" He beamed. "Were you picked?"

I nodded. "Cricket is one of the only things I am good at. I look forward to playing with you then!" I said sincerely.

"We have to spend the entire day just getting ready for it though! Didn't we do enough already?" He pouted.

"I think it's just last-minute things, and I think only the Fags have to worry about it. But yes, most of our time today is spent getting dressed,"

"Then I hope we look really good!" He sipped some of his tea before standing up. "Well, I'm finished! See you at the party tonight, Harcourt!" He stretched and carried his tray away, and I awkwardly waved back at him, not sure what to make of him. I took a few more sips of my tea as well before I considered myself finished and put my own tray away, then went into our dressing room, finding myself being fussed over the instant I walked in by some maids.

"Oh Harcourt! You look so cute already! Putting you in one of these would just make you even cuter!" One cooed, running her hand through my hair.

"Which outfit do you want?" One of the older maids asked, motioning to an opened wardrobe full of clothes. I walked over to it and ran my hand down some of the crimson robes. I needed one that was regal but would let me blend into the background. Sadly, it seemed the whole point of this year's theme was to stand out as much as possible.

"Well?" Another maid asked me, telling me I needed to hurry up and pick one. I noticed one outfit had a long amulet attached that beared the dark red of a fox's tail. I held the amulet in my hand, feeling how cool it was to the touch.

"This one, please," I directed, and the maids nodded and pulled it out of the closet, letting me see it in its fully glory. The sleeves were very lacy and it came with a large hat with a giant yellow feather on top, which I winced at. I thought the hat was very ugly.

The next few hours were filled with the maids undressing me, tightening a corset around my waist, then slowly pulling the outfit on me, one piece at a time to make sure everything fit properly. The process was very boring and I was already feeling breathless from how tight the corset was.

"You have to look like an old-fashioned king from Elizabeth's era! They all had very slim waists!" A maid scolded me when I tried to loosen it. I thought of the old paintings I had seen of some of those kings and knew for a fact none of them had very slim waists, quite the very opposite, but I wasn't sure pointing that out would really get me anywhere.

After I was dressed, some perfume was sprayed onto my neck, making me cough, then a tall staff was thrust into my hands.

"You look like such a little prince!" The maids cooed at my appearance, making me blush heavily. I mostly felt very hot in the outfit, and lightheaded.

"Is everyone else ready?" I asked, tightening my grip on the staff.

"I think so," Another maid nodded, gently ushering me out of the room. I wandered into our common room, running right into Redmond and almost falling over from how heavy I felt.

"Harcourt! You are ready! And you look the best!" He beamed, taking in my appearance. I simply nodded, afraid of speaking too much. "Now we can go down into the ballroom and wait to make our grand entrance,"

We all formed a line behind Redmond and silently followed behind him to the ballroom, myself directly behind him because I was his Fag. I felt someone tap on my shoulder and whirled around in surprise to see Kadar waving at me.

"You look really good! The best-dressed out of all of us!" He whispered too loudly at me, and I simply shrugged and kept my focus on Redmond.

We stopped in front of a group of doors that would lead us into the ballroom, waiting for our House Master to announce our presence. I wondered what Midford's and Phantomhive's themes were going to be. And Cheslock's. Were they better than ours? If anything, they wouldn't be forced into a too-tight corset.

"Glorious Eden!" Our House master announced, and Redmond winked at us just as the doors swung open, letting us all walk inside. I held my head up high as well as the staff, wanting to make it seem like I knew what I was doing. As expected, a bunch of girls all cheered for Redmond, instantly asking him to dance even though it wasn't time for that yet.

After everyone had entered, the Prefects all lit the fire to allow the tournament to begin, and everyone cheered and started to disperse, finding other things to do in the ballroom. I handed the staff off to someone else and walked away, still trying my best to remain close to my House.

"Joanne!" Samantha squealed happily, hurrying over to me. "See? I told you I would come!" She smiled happily and I smiled back at her. She looked very beautiful in a trailing lacy evening gown that was a light peach colour. But of course, she looked pretty in everything. "I may be a bit biased, but your House has the best theme. You look so adorable!" She giggled behind her fan.

"Thank you." I smiled back at her, finally relaxing. "Is Anastasia and Adam here?"

"Oh, yes, they are." Her excitement faded slightly. "Anastasia was feeling too ill to come to the party though, can you believe that? She and Adam are resting in the guest room,"

"Too ill?" I asked in disbelief. That sounded nothing like Anastasia. Unless...

"They promised to watch you play cricket tomorrow though. I told them it would be amazing to watch you beat everyone," She laughed again. "How about you introduce me to some of your friends?"

"Oh, uh," I blushed heavily and started looking around frantically for Midford, being unable to spot him. "H-how about you introduce me to some of your friends? If they're sisters of students here, then they'd be here too,"

"So far I have only seen Elizabeth. Not Annelise. Guess she's not here," Samantha pouted slightly.

We heard a loud commotion and looked over in the direction of Bluester, who was currently being pulled in all directions by his seven sisters, all trying to talk at once.

"You're always so serious at school. But at home, you are so different!" One chuckled.

"Have you found a pretty girlfriend yet? When are you going to introduce her to the family?" The second winked, making Bluster blush.

"Come on, this is not very dignified!" He scolded, struggling to regain his composure. I chuckled happily at the sight.

"Reminds you of a certain someone, right Joanne?" Samantha caught me laughing and gently nudged me.

"Samantha! I didn't expect to see you here!" A girl I assumed to be Midford's younger sister hurried over to us. Right, her name was Elizabeth. "Come on, I want to show you something!" She pulled on Samantha's arm, and Samantha waved at me with her fan before she got dragged off.

I waved back to her and hurried back over to Redmond, finding him to be talking to Phantomhive.

"Kadar was picked to be a cricket player for your House?" He asked in disbelief, and I found myself nodding.

"Yes! He's very good at cricket! Have you ever seen him play?" I asked him curiously. I hadn't even seen him play, but I trusted Redmond knew what he was doing. And Kadar said he played cricket back in India on his own team. If nothing else, he got a lot of practice.

"Let's worry about stuff like that tomorrow. Tonight is supposed to be fun!" Redmond exclaimed, finding a nearby girl and pulling her into a dance. Phantomhive simply walked off, and I walked off in a different direction as well, worried about Anastasia.

"Excuse me, where are the guest rooms for Scarlet Wolf?" I asked a passing teacher, and he pointed me in the right direction. "Thank you!" I said in a rush before I continued walking. I longed to run but I knew the corset would just make me pass out, so I kept myself at a leisurely pace.

I finally found the guest rooms and checked the names on them, soon finding my last name and gently knocking on the door. "Hello? Anastasia?"

"Little brother! You're worried about your sister, are you?" Adam chirped as soon as he answered the door, leaning against the frame. "I love your outfit, by the way. It suits someone as regal as you,"

"Y-yes, I'm worried about Anastasia," I said shyly, looking down. "Samantha said she was too ill to attend the ball tonight and I wanted to check on her," I walked inside the room and found Anastasia sitting up in bed, her hair down for once and curls spread all over her pillow. She physically seemed fine, as her glasses were even on. She was reading a book and didn't even glance up at me when I walked in. "I heard you were sick," I explained. "I just wanted to check on you to make sure you didn't have to go home early,"

"I am fine. Just some soreness and tiredness," She said dully. "The sun will do wonders for me, Father said. So I will still be able to attend the game tomorrow,"

I smiled lightly. "That's good to hear! Uh, you're not missing much tonight anyway. Just a bunch of dancing and family formalities,"

"But we're your family! Why wouldn't we enjoy something like that?" Adam questioned, and I tried my hardest to keep smiling.

I didn't just want my sisters there, I wanted Mother and Father there too, asking me if I had a girlfriend yet, telling me I looked mature in my outfit, cheering me on in the seats tomorrow. After all, they were part of my family too, and I longed greatly for them.

"You should hurry to your room. Anastasia's fine. You have to rest up for your game tomorrow," Adam gently ushered me from the room. "Knock them all down, little brother,"

I laughed awkwardly. I wanted Father to say that to me, not Adam. I went back to my room, for once ignoring O'Kelly's comments as I got undressed and flopped into bed. I stayed awake for the better half of the night, a sour taste in my mouth and an ache in my heart.

#############

After breakfast, the selected cricket members were to report to the dressing room to get our uniforms on, then out to the field and get ready. Once I stepped outside, I already had found myself sweating from how hot it was. I thought about tying my hair up like others in Scarlet Fox had done, but decided against it when I realized everyone had done it. "You're going to play in the first quarter," Redmond informed me, and I smiled and nodded, waiting for my turn. We were playing against Sapphire Owl, as we always did. I felt bad that we would likely defeat them easily as Phantomhive was on that team, but at the same time, I knew he wouldn't hold anything back if he played against me either. So therefore, in the game's rules, it was fair.

For the first half of the game, it was mainly Redmond playing, getting the most points for us. I mainly hung back to watch, wishing I could be in the shade. I was feeling very sticky and wondered how nobody else playing seemed to notice. Maybe it really was just me.

I every so often would glance up at the stands and at one point caught Samantha's eye, and she happily waved back at me. Anastasia just looked bored, while Adam was holding a parasol out for her, though it was big enough for him to get some shade from it as well.

Finally, it was time for a break, though it felt like I had to wait an eternity. I hurried over to where our rest area was and started getting the food ready that I thought Redmond would want.

"Here's our meat pie!" A third-year called out happily, pulling the lid off. "I thought I put it someplace else though,"

I went over to the meat pie and started cutting pieces of it out for my teammates, also getting a big slice for myself. I first served Redmond, who was lounging in a chair. I then offered a piece to Kadar, who took it, much to my surprise.

"I thought you couldn't eat things like this?" I asked in confusion. I had read in Hinduism, meat was seen as something forbidden and one would become unclean if they ate it.

"Is this beef?" He questioned, and I shook my head.

"It's chicken!"

"Then I can eat it, no problems!" Kadar said happily, digging into his. I sat down next to Redmond and started eating my own pie, smiling when I felt the warm butter melting in my mouth.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Harcourt," Redmond teased lightly, making me blush.

"I just really love meat pies! The school makes some of the best," I admitted, continuing to eat.

"I'm going to put you into this next round. I think you're playing against Phantomhive," Redmond mentioned, and I winced.

"Really?" I saw him playing earlier and he seemed to be fairly good, at least for someone from Sapphire Owl. "I-I can still take him though!" I promised, smiling. Redmond smiled back.

"I have faith in you, Harcourt." He sipped some of his drink and I continued eating, enjoying the shade for as long as I could.

After we ate, it was time to get back into the game, and I picked up one of the balls and idlely tossed it back and forth in my hands.

"Get him, Harcourt," Redmond whispered to me, and I nodded, putting a more serious face on. No time for messing around now, I needed to beat Sapphire Owl in this round and win for my own House. I was good, but I still needed to concentrate. I walked onto the field and looked at Phantomhive, trying to figure out if he was as nervous as I felt, or if he was confident he could win this.

I threw the ball at Sapphire Owl's team and just as easily smacked it back, running fast enough to keep in pace with the ball. It went on like this for a while, and the tension seemed to rise, as nobody made any sound over on the stands.

"Time to finish him off, Harcourt!" Redmond directed, and I nodded slowly at him. If we made this, then our team would win and move onto the next round. I braced myself to throw the ball, winding it up. I felt bad that Phantomhive's team would lose, but it was a game and somebody had to lose. And it wasn't going to be mine.

"Sorry about this, Phantomhive," I still whispered, more to myself as I started to throw the ball, only to feel a sharp pain stab my stomach. I gasped and fell down to the ground, barely feeling the ball slip from my hands.

"M-my stomach..." I gasped, trying to stand back up but finding the pain too great. All around me, the other members of the team seemed to be having the same problem, aside from Kadar, who wondered what happened. I was wondering too.

Several of the players managed to head off the field, including Redmond. I knew they were all waiting for me to get up as well, so I managed to slowly lift my head, trying to move, only to feel my stomach drop.

"I-I can't move!" I managed to call out, feeling my intestines drop as well. "I-I I move, I-I'll-!" I managed to warn before my intestines dropped further and I cried out before I caught myself before biting my lip. My face felt hot and heavy and so did my stomach.

"I've got you!" Kadar announced, gently helping me up and balancing me on his shoulders. "Are you alright?" He asked, clearly worried, but all I could manage was a weak burp in reply. He handed me off to a staff member standing by and directed him to take me to the infirmary, which he nodded at.

"Goodness gracious," He took my arm and led me away; my legs seemed to be working on their own. The last thing I managed to hear before we left the field was that Scarlet Fox had forfeited the match, leaving Sapphire Owls the winners. It disappointed me, but I couldn't place why.

###########

After I rested up and got cleaned up, I was told to watch the final match, which I didn't really want to do. I had already humiliated myself in front of hundreds of people. I didn't even want to face my sisters, or Redmond. I just wanted to shut myself up inside my dorm. I was required to go, however, so I walked onto the stands, keeping my head down and sitting next to Redmond.

"You're looking better!" He greeted me cheerfully, making me blush heavily. "It was just some bad meat. We probably should not have left it out in the sun like that,"

I recalled what that third-year had said when I was serving it and found myself doubting that claim. I had no proof someone had actually tampered with the food to force us to forfeit, but it seemed suspicious to me.

I remained quiet and watched the remainder of the game, surprised Sapphire Owl made it this far. Phantomhive seemed confident and sure of himself and I wondered if he was the reason why their team was suddenly doing better. He didn't seem like an athlete, but appearances are always deceiving.

Much to everyone's surprise, Sapphire Owl ended up winning the match, and the entire House in the stands erupted into loud cheers and applause. They grabbed Phantomhive and jokingly tossed him into the air, and I smiled because the happiness was infectious.

"They'll look dapper in that photo they take," Redmond mentioned, and I nodded in agreement. Our own House filed out of the stands and were given our usual flowery hats to wear, which were filled with early summer blossoms as well as our House flower. I gently placed it on my forehead and hurried to the bank of the lake to watch Sapphire Owl row across the River Thames to greet Her Majesty.

"I'm a bit jealous," Midford mentioned from somewhere to my right. "I wish I could greet the queen like that,"

"Don't you work for her? Don't you see her every day?" Cheslock sneered.

"No!" Midford snapped back.

"Here they come!" A fifth-year from Green Lion announced happily, pointing to the filled boats rowing over to us. I happily waved to them as they went past, wondering if Phantomhive could see me. I couldn't make out his figure in the boats from the distance.

After they greeted Her Majesty, the boats were supposed to turn back around and be rowed back into the docks, but I suppose since Sapphire Owl never practiced, they were unaware of this part, because they all randomly fell into the water. Several people gasped in surprise, but Redmond and I started to laugh.

"They're all soaking wet!" I chuckled, not even trying to contain it for once. The fireworks started above us and lit up everyone's faces in gorgeous, vibrant colours.

"Alright everyone, time to head back inside for the dance!" A teacher announced, and everyone eagerly hurried back inside, leaving Sapphire Owl out in the water.

After I walked inside, I looked around nervously, hoping I wouldn't actually have to dance. I was fairly good at it, but I was anxious about dancing in front of a huge group of people. I remained near the food table for a few minutes, pretending to be looking for my sisters. I soon spotted them, finding Anastasia dancing with Adam and Samantha dancing with Clayton of all people. Some of the younger students started to get pulled onto the floor, including Phantomhive. I laughed until one of Bluester's older sisters walked over to me, closing her fan.

Without even saying anything, she pulled on my arms and dragged me onto the dancefloor, making me blush. "Won't you entertain me for tonight? Little brother is being so unreasonable," She pouted, and I blushed heavily and nodded.

"Of course, my lady," I held out my hands for her and gently took them, and despite our obvious differences in height, started to slowly ease into the dance, gently spinning her around.

"Wow, you are a good dancer for your young age!" She praised happily, making me smile more.

"I have had a lot of practice," I said simply, finally feeling comfortable as I settled into the dance. I looked around me and noticed Midford dancing with a maid, looking embarrassed by that fact. Phantomhive was still dancing with Midford's sister. Kadar was dancing with another maid. And Redmond was dancing with someone's little sister. Everyone seemed so happy. The happiness in the room seemed like it would overflow if anything else joyful happened, but luckily, it didn't. The remainder of the night passed in utter bliss.

######

The next night, I returned to my room and set everything down on my desk, finding a very fancy teacup with a flower on top sitting on my bed. At this point, I was well aware of what it meant and gently pinned the new flower to my chest, taking the tea cup and heading to the greenhouse for the Midnight Tea Party. I knocked a few times on the door, then showed my teacup to the Vice-Headmaster.

"Very good, Harcourt. You may come in," He said quietly, nodding. I nodded back and hurried inside, placing my teacup on the table. I sat inbetween Cheslock and Midford, who had already arrived. Redmond had arrived too, as had Greenhill and Violet.

"Want more biscuits?" Redmond asked me, whispering. I nodded silently and held out my plate, pulling it back once I had three extra biscuits on it. I started to chew on one, finding it to be stale and wanting to spit it out. Instead, I continued chewing it into a pulp, quickly swallowing it.

Bluester and Clayton arrived next, taking their usual seats. "We will have one more guest tonight," Clayton informed the Headmaster, who was sitting at the head of the table. If he heard Clayton, he made no indication that he did.

"Is it Phantomhive?" Midford asked in a curious tone, and Clayton nodded as he sipped his tea. Phantomhive arrived just then, seemingly overwhelmed by everything. He looked like he was trying to absorb it all in.

I slowly waved at him to show him he didn't have to be nervous. It was just a tea party with the Headmaster, after all. To my surprise, Mr. Michaelis had come as well, and I quickly looked down, sipping my tea and blushing.

Everything was silent for a few minutes until Phantomhive finally put his cup down and looked directly at the Headmaster.

"Everything I have done here at this school has to get to meet you. And now I have to ask you my question. What happened to Derrick Arden and the other students? You can't escape me now," He asked calmly but sternly, making everyone look over at him in shock.

"What do you mean? Derrick is right here, he is fine!" The Headmaster motioned to the doors, where Derrick walked in, looking perfectly fine. Redmond quietly gasped in surprise, though I couldn't place why.

Phantomhive looked surprised, staring at the Headmaster. Even I was surprised, but I kept everything quiet. This wasn't something I knew a lot about, so I couldn't just butt in.

"What a nice smell of tea! I do love it!" Derrick said cheerfully, walking over to the table.

"That's not him," Phantomhive finally announced, pushing his chair out slightly and making Derrick lose his balance slightly. He fell down on the ground, hitting his head.

"Is he alright?" Clayton asked curiously, running over to him and turning him over, only to reveal the face of a rotten corpse.

"Oh my gosh!" Midford gasped in horror, and even Redmond looked extremely unnerved.

"He's a Bizarre Doll!" Phantomhive yelled, something seemingly being turned on in him as he leapt out of his seat and pulled off his eyepatch.

"Seriously, what is going on here?" Cheslock demanded, seemingly just as confused as I was.

Mr. Michaelis jumped up and ripped the tablecloth out from under the table in a flash, making me blink. Nothing on the actual table had been disturbed at all, making me blink even more.

"How did you do that?" Someone asked in surprise, though I couldn't tell who it was.

"Ah, right. I am sorry for the confusion," Mr. Michaelis took off his own robes to reveal a butler's outfit, tightening his gloves. "I am merely Earl Phantomhive's butler, Sebastian,"

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "But what about Mr. Michaelis? You're a butler? But-!" I cut myself off, biting my lip. I refused to believe that. I got a very dark feeling from just looking at Mr. Michaelis, now more than I did before. I could feel the energy swirling around me, swirling around inside me, forcing its way down my throat and touching my heart. "I refuse to believe any of this!" I decided, hurrying over to where Midford and Cheslock were still standing, thankfully looking just as confused as I was.

"A Bizarre Doll?" Midford glanced at Phantomhive. Looking at Derrick's body reminded me of those flesh-eaters I encountered on the _Campania_ back in the spring. Were they related?

"I knew that couldn't have been Derrick," Greenhill started to talk for the first time that night, it seemed. "Because we murdered him."

"What?" Midford asked in surprise.

"It was to keep the traditions of the school intact," Bluester explained, and the four Prefects started to tell the story of Derrick, of how he seemed to be a perfect student but was really a rotten egg. How he would force other students to do his work for him. And how a punishment went too far one day and they had to dispose of the body, entrusting it to the Headmaster.

"But we never thought it would come back to haunt us like this," Redmond finished. "I'm so sorry your perfect Prefects were involved in something as sinister as this,"

I walked over to Derrick's corpse, which was still lying on the ground. "There's no way he is dead though. I just saw him move, and corpses don't move," I said out-loud. After all, he was moving. Those zombies on the ship were just a nightmare. Things like that didn't actually exist.

"I smell the fresh aroma of tea! Please let me have a cup!" Derrick growled in a deep voice, turning his head to glance at me. I loudly screamed and took a few steps back, running into the table and knocking some things off of it. "He's a zombie!" I cried in terror.

"But why would you ask the Headmaster to dispose of the body?" Phantomhive continued, seemingly unfazed by the whole event. "Unless..."

"That is right, it seems you have finally figured me out," The Headmaster smirked and pulled off his hat, revealing a different appearance underneath.

"Undertaker?!" Phantomhive said in surprise, and I looked over in shock as well.

"But where's the real Headmaster?" I asked, more to myself. Everything seemed like a bad nightmare that I just couldn't wake up from. But I wanted to. I needed to wake up, before something bad truly happened.

"Come over here to the gates!" Someone directed, and I nodded, wanting to get out of this place as fast as possible. Unfortunately, more zombies appeared and one shoved me into the table, knocking me down and making things fall around me.

"Want to play some cricket?" One of them growled at me, and I simply screamed in terror as it got closer, opening its mouth. I knew I was going to die at that moment, die because I was eaten by a zombie. I could see my life flashing before my eyes quickly, so fast I could only see snippets of seemingly random moments.

 _Standing in front of a mirror, dressing up with my sisters. They were in red satin and my vest was trimmed to match._

 _Samantha handing Father her latest assignment. I stood off to the side, tightly clutching the test I had aced. It was for mathematics. I wanted Father to be proud of me, but when Samantha left, he went back to his work, having not noticed me._

 _Spending time with the other Fags and how much fun I actually have with them._

 _The voyage on the_ Campania _._

 _The dance last night._

 _Pinning my flower to my vest earlier-_

"Come on!" Phantomhive shouted at me, tugging on my arm and pulling me off the ground. "You have to move!" He directed, pulling me over to another section of the greenhouse. He started to speak with Mr. Michaelis, but I couldn't hear them. My head felt like I was underwater and I could not stop shaking. My legs felt like jelly, and suddenly, all noise ceased. The room around me with black and I heard a loud thud as I fell over.

#############

"Huh?" I asked in confusion when I woke up, looking around the infirmary. A bandage was wrapped around my head and my uniform from the night before was cold and chaffing on me. There seemed to be nobody else around and I found myself unable to recall what had happened the previous night. I remembered being at the tea party, but after Phantomhive stated hew knew what happened to Derrick, everything became a blur.

"You're awake," Midford said in surprise, walking into the room. I nodded, holding my head. "You fell really badly last night. The nurse said you likely have amnesia. Well, amnesia of last night. She said to not rush things and let the memory come to you naturally,"

That explained my mind's fuzziness. "How did I fall?"

"Someone tripped you and you slammed into the table. Phantomhive brought you here afterwards." He seemed to have something else on his mind.

"Where are the others? Like Redmond?" I asked in a curious tone.

"Oh...they graduated early. They had such excellent grades," Midford looked even more uncomfortable by that statement and I felt like he was lying, but I did not want to call him out. "And their Fags were promoted to the Prefect position. I came here to congratulate you,"

"I-I'm a Prefect?" I asked in disbelief. But I was too young! And hardly experienced.

"Since you were asleep, someone else represented you at the ceremony, but they said they need to see you in person once you are actually healthy." He threw a bouquet of flowers and some gloves at me. "Those are from the ceremony." He then turned and walked away, leaving me alone again.

"What happened last night...?" I asked myself quietly, knowing I would likely never find out. Midford obviously knew, and I figured so did Clayton and Cheslock. Phantomhive too. They would be unlikely to tell me though, and that was fine by me. I didn't need to know everything.

##########

After I spent the remainder of the afternoon resting, I was free to go back to my classes. I attended the 'ceremony' by myself to officially get made a Prefect, then I nervously slipped on my new uniform. I tightened the gloves on my hands and bowed deeply to the temporary Headmaster; the old one was on vacation. Afterwards, I headed back to my dorm, hearing people buzz on the courtyard.

"Phantomhive just dropped out! Can you believe that?" A Green Lion asked in disbelief.

"He did not drop out. He literally vanished mysteriously," A Sapphire Owl corrected him.

"'Tis a shame. He made the school livelier," A Violet Wolf huffed. My eyes widened at that. Phantomhive, gone? I couldn't believe that! I then turned around and ran to Sapphire Owl, keeping a tight grip on my hat so it wouldn't fly away.

"Excuse me! I need to see the student records," I said breathlessly to one of the staff members.

"You can tell me who you're looking for," He said, staring at my uniform.

"An Earl Ciel Phantomhive?" I recited, and the staff nodded and flipped through some papers. He then gave me an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Duke Harcourt, but it seems like he transferred to another school this morning."

"Transferred? Where?" I pressed.

"He did not say. Likely some other private school," He closed the booklet. "Anything else?"

"How about Mr. Michaelis?"

"Left with him. Fairly bad timing, I would say. Now we need to find a replacement for Sapphire Owl, and quickly." He tsked, going back to his writing.

"Mr. Michaelis... gone?" I asked in disbelief, feeling numb. I nodded politely at the worker anyway and headed back outside, sitting down on a bench to collect my thoughts.

I was even more convinced that something bad happened last night. Something involving those two, and that was why they had to leave.

"Hey prissy boy, why are you sitting out here all by yourself?" Cheslock laughed, leaning his back against the bench. I jumped slightly in surprise.

"I always expected a Prefect to be surrounded by friends," Clayton mused, adjusting his glasses.

"You guys are Prefects now too," I said, reminding myself.

"Yeah, which means we're gonna be spending a lot of time together! So I hope you don't hate us!" Cheslock continued to laugh.

"I could never hate you guys. You're my friends," I smiled slightly, looking over at Midford.

And it was true. The four of us were very different, from all different types of backgrounds, but we all managed to get along in spite of that, so that was something, right?

And I would not have even met these people if it hadn't been for Phantomhive and Mr. Michaelis. Whatever their goal was at this school, I hope they had achieved it.

"Thank you for giving me friends," I whispered to myself, glancing up at the sky.


End file.
